Shafie speaking at the Socso EIS Job Carnival yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Sabah for next year is expected to grow 5.1 per cent, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said the strong forecast is based on the government’s steps to go further downstream and spur the industrialization of Sabah, which will see more jobs created for locals.
Shafie said more products could be produced with the presence of factories to make cooking oil and wooden furniture.
He said tourism is one of the biggest contributors towards the GDP increase.
However, the state needed more tourism products for sustainability of tourists coming into Sabah, he told a press conference yesterday during the Social Security Organisation (Socso) Employment Insurance System (EIS) Job Carnival at a shopping mall here yesterday..
Making use of the existing facilities in Sabah, the tourism sector could diversify its products by creating more reasons for tourists to travel to Sabah besides sightseeing, he said, adding that academicians could also travel to the state for research and studies.
On the event, Shafie said more than 3,000 job opportunities were offered with about 24 employers in various sectors involved.
He lauded Socso’s initiative for holding the event and assured that the state government will always give its full support to help job seekers get employed and resolve mismatch issues between employees and employers.
He said some university or college graduates do not know where to get a job and ended up with a job that is different from their background of studies, thus the government would help to untangle this mismatch for the betterment of both employers and employees.
Shafie also commented on the overcrowding at the Temporary Detention Centres in Sabah, saying the deportation of illegal immigrants back to their country is certain.
However, different types of boats have their own specifications and since it is the monsoon season, safety must also be ensured, he noted.
Therefore, he said the state government has given the National Safety Council the flexibility on the types of boat which will be used to deport the illegal immigrants as long as it is safe.