{
  "id": 3040653,
  "title": "Latih lebih ramai penjaga bantu rakyat mulakan keluarga",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/latih-lebih-ramai-penjaga-bantu-rakyat-mulakan-keluarga-3040653",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T14:21:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/08/24/latih-lebih-ramai-penjaga-bantu-rakyat-mulakan-keluarga"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Women, Family and Community Minister Nancy Shukri has announced plans to train more professional nannies to encourage more Malaysians to start families and address the country's declining birth rate. During a press conference, the minister emphasized that while the government promotes having children, including through assistance programs for couples facing difficulties conceiving, the decision ultimately lies with the couple.\n\nAccording to statistics released last July, the birth rate fell from 16.7 per 1,000 people in 2015 to just 12.2 in 2024. The country also recorded its lowest annual birth count of 414,918 in 2024, the lowest figure in 44 years since 1980. The Department of Statistics explained that the decline in birth rates is attributed to changing lifestyles, rising living costs, delayed marriages, and a decreasing birth rate.\n\nShukri stated that more data will be collected to ensure the country reaches its target fertility rate. She acknowledged that many individuals are prioritizing careers due to the increasing cost of building a family. However, the government cannot simply sit back and wait. It needs to encourage people to have children and find ways to assist couples dealing with fertility issues.",
  "summary": "Menteri Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat Nancy Shukri berkata sebahagian wanita keberatan mempunyai keluarga lebih besar kerana perlu bekerja sambil menjaga ibu bapa.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Latih lebih ramai penjaga bantu rakyat mulakan keluarga",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/latih-lebih-ramai-penjaga-bantu-rakyat-mulakan-keluarga",
        "published": "2026-08-24T14:21:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}