KUALA LUMPUR: The Returning Expert Programme (REP) received 11,124 applications and successfully brought 2,011 talents back to the country between 2011 and June this year.
In a parliamentary written reply, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said the ministry, through TalentCorp, has implemented various initiatives to attract local talent from abroad to return to Malaysia, particularly through the MyHeart platform, with REP as one of its main programmes.
"The REP offers various incentives such as a 15 per cent income tax exemption, tax exemption on personal goods, excise duty exemption for vehicles up to RM100,000, as well as facilities to obtain permanent resident status for spouses and children," he said in response to Chow Yu Hui (PH-Raub).
Chow asked the ministry to provide details on the timeline and plans to bring local talents and professionals back to contribute to the nation's development.
Sim said the MyHeart platform also provides job opportunities by connecting the Malaysian diaspora with leading companies such as Petronas, Shell and PwC.
"The initiative aims to help the diaspora find suitable job opportunities in Malaysia before returning.
"In addition, the MyHeart Career and Facilitation Fest (MyHeart CaFe), direct networking opportunities are created between the diaspora and employers in Malaysia.
"Since 2022, the programme has attracted 1,499 diasporas and offered 1,981 job opportunities."
On entrepreneurship, Sim said the MyHeart Innovate initiative supports the diaspora interested in starting businesses in Malaysia by providing guidance and access to funding.
"The first cohort, consisting of 10 overseas entrepreneurs, joined the programme in August.
"MyHeart also encourages knowledge collaboration between the diaspora and local institutions through the MyHeart Collaboration program, particularly in the fields of research and education.
Meanwhile, on the statistics of migration of Malaysian citizens, Sim said that based on the data from TalentCorp and the World Bank through a study titled Leveraging on Malaysian Diaspora: Malaysian Diaspora Heat Maps, completed in April 2022, the Malaysian diaspora population in four key countries was estimated to be 281,429 individuals.
In Australia, there were 138,363 individuals, with the majority involved in the professional services sector.
In the United States, there were 79,827 individuals, with most work in management, professional services, business, science and the arts.
In the United Kingdom, there were 37,549 individuals, with most involved in management, professional services, medicine and hospitality.
In Canada, there were 25,690 individuals, with most involved in management, professional services, science, medicine and technical services.