PORT DICKSON: The female labour participation rate in Malaysia was 52.4 per cent in 2013, which means, for every 100 women, 52 were in the labour force.
For the 2013/2014 intake into the public higher learning institutions, 68 per cent of the new students were female students.
“However, according to the labour force survey by the Department of Statistics, women managers make up only 3.2 per cent and women professionals only 14.8 per cent,” said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim.
“I am quoting these data to show you that there is a pool of educated and professional women out there, but they are not entering the labour
market.
“We would like to see more educated and professional women bloom as self-employed individuals, business owners, exporters and players in the global market place.”
Rohani said this in her opening address at the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Women Entrepreneurial Retreat, here, yesterday.
Also present was WIEF Businesswomen Network (WBN) chairman, Datuk Dr Norraesah Mohamad.
Rohani said in many countries including Malaysia, women had their own businesses, from petty trading to online business to exporting.
“Despite their potential, most businesswomen own small companies serving their local markets and certainly not operating internationally.
“Even after years and years of funding and initiatives for women by the government, some women entrepreneurs have still not expanded their small business. It’s time to provide more serious support to allow businesswomen to scale up,” she said.
Rohani said as most women entrepreneurs faced various challenges in accessing international markets, finance, technology and innovation, the retreat could provide the participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to strengthen their business and to take it to the next level.
It was also a good opportunity to learn from the experiences of an existing programme under Matrade and that of their counterparts from other countries, as well as to network, she added.
About 60 women from Iran, the Philippines, Brunei, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia are participating in the four-day retreat. — Bernama