Bilangan kerja pelaburan pusat data tak berkadar terus, kata Ramanan

Minister of Human Resources, R Ramanan, has stated that the number of direct jobs created from data centers is disproportionate to the announced investment figures. In response to a written question in Parliament, Ramanan explained that this disparity arises due to the capital-intensive nature of data centers, with most investments directed towards high-quality equipment, electrical infrastructure, and cooling systems.

However, the majority of jobs created in this sector are high-skilled and require specific technical expertise, he added. When asked by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PH-Bandar Tun Razak) about the latest statistics on high-skilled jobs created through data center investments, Ramanan addressed the question. According to the Malaysia Investment Development Authority (Mida), data center and cloud computing projects attracted RM95.8 billion in investments in the first half of this year.

Since 2021, Malaysia has recorded RM385.7 billion in investments related to data centers, reflecting strong investor confidence among global technology firms such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Ramanan mentioned that the Malaysian Human Resources Talent Corporation (TalentCorp) has identified 12 high-demand job roles in the data center sector, most of which require specialized technical skills.

These roles include electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, project managers (IT), facility managers, system integrators, electrical design engineers, facility managers, data center technicians, facility technicians, and chargemen. Out of these 12 roles, eight require certification, one requires a diploma, two require vocational and technical education and training qualifications, and one (chargeman) requires the Malaysian Certificate of Secondary Education (SPM) along with a certification from the Energy Commission.

Ramanan noted that this demonstrates the sector's ability to provide employment opportunities for both university graduates and TVET graduates. While facing increasing competition from Vietnam and Thailand, BMI forecasts Malaysia to remain Asia's leading data center market. However, widespread concerns have been reported that a surge in data center investments in Malaysia could put pressure on water and electricity supplies.