HRD Corp Approved RM2.62 Billion In Financial Assistance Last Year

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) approved RM2.62 billion in financial assistance towards training and skills development activities in 2025, a growth of 32 per cent against 2024.

In a statement today, it said there were more than 2.8 million training places for HRD Corp-administered programmes and schemes that were recorded last year, also a positive growth of 3 per cent against 2024.

“Beyond these statistics lie a more pertinent growth and development narrative. The sector that recorded the biggest number of training places was the manufacturing sector with more than 795,000 training places in 2025.

“The manufacturing sector is the second largest sector in terms of contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and typically contributes between 23 to 25 per cent of Malaysia’s GDP,” the statement said.

As of November 2025, a total of 2.4 million employees were recorded in this sector across the electrical and electronics products, food and beverages products, and petroleum and chemical products segments.

According to the statement, the average salaries and wages paid in the manufacturing sector posted an expansion of 1.1 per cent year-on-year as in the same period.

“The other significant economic sector to propel Malaysia’s digital economy is the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

“In 2024, the digital economy contributed 23.4 per cent to the GDP and is expected to contribute 25 per cent in 2025. The total financial assistance approved by HRD Corp under the Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) amounted to RM130 million. There were more than 103,000 training places that were recorded across all digital economy and ICT sectors,” it said.

The statement said this clearly implies that skills development is increasingly central to workforce resilience and business competitiveness.

According to the statement as industries adjusted to rapid technological shifts, tighter talent pipelines and evolving job requirements, HRD Corp focused on outcomes that were practical for employers, accessible to communities and aligned with the future direction of workforce development in Malaysia and the ASEAN region.

Alongside employer-led training priorities, HRD Corp sustained a strong focus on inclusive access to skills development through targeted initiatives and a total of 18,137 Malaysians were beneficiaries of skills development initiatives which used a mix of government grants and internal funds of HRD Corp.

-- BERNAMA