General

Recently, Dr Lee Hwok-Aun, Senior Fellow, Malaysian Studies Programme, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, wrote: “Pakatan Harapan routinely disavows race-based policies, offering instead the notion of need-based policies. This commitment to need-based assistance has constructively focused attention on low-income households, but its prescription for ‘replacing’ race-based programs is fundamentally flawed.” 

This is pretty much an extension of what Hwok-Aun has been writing for years now. 

Question is, why is it fundamentally flawed? Hwok-Aun joins us to share his insight.

Human Resource Minister V Sivakumar (DAP/PH) recently announced a deferment for micro businesses, giving them another six months (which is up until July) before they have to comply with the minimum wage laws and raise their employee salaries to at least RM1,500. 

The new minimum wage of RM 1500 had already come into effect nationwide from May 2022, but micro businesses were given an exemption and would initially have to start paying the higher rate from January 1 this year. We discuss.

It’s now 2023, which means some big changes for how businesses operate as the amended Employment Act came into force, effective January 1st. 

The amendments were initially supposed to come into play in September 2022, but was deferred as it seemed like companies were generally not ready, with some, including the Malaysian Employers Federation, attributing this to businesses still having to manage and adapt to the aftermath of the pandemic, the recent floods, and other uncertainties on the global stage.

So what does this mean for companies moving forward? The Enterprise team discussed this with Canna Tan, a senior HR manager.

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 Atap connects property owners to trusted interior designers across Malaysia. Their platform allows property owners to view the profiles and portfolios of verified interior designer firms; provides educational and inspirational content on interior design and renovation, and ultimately connects property owners looking to renovate to an interior design firm of their choosing or a few recommended by the Atap team.

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就业市场大有门道　1 / 2

2023 开年之际，最重要的便是掌握市场脉动、展望趋势潜能。在这其中，最重要的理当是每个人的「饭碗」了。那么，在就业市场中，谋职应聘者有哪些趋势需要关注呢？本期节目，我们就来一窥就业市场在全新一年的大方向、大变化，也让职业配对平台 Kabel 过一过招，让我们掌握应聘面试时的谈判小撇步！

As the year kicks off to a start, Stephen Yong of Wealth Vantage Advisory comes on the show again to share his outlook for 2023 and the key events to look out for that might impact your wallet. Stephen gives some tips on how to start off the new year and how to prepare for the looming recession as well as what are the opportunities to take advantage of. 

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The performance for M-REITs have been rather resilient for 2022 even in a rising interest rate environment, where Bank Negara Malaysia has raised the Overnight Policy Rate by 100 bps. Jessica Low, Senior Analyst at MIDF Amanah Investment Bank tells us her outlook for 2023 and what are her top picks.

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Foreign direct investment (FDI) to Malaysia grew to a record RM861 billion at the end of 3Q23, with the US as the second largest investor contributing 12%. However with a global recession potentially on the horizon, will investors remain upbeat on Malaysia? Siobhan Das of AMCHAM weighs in on business sentiment among its members and their policy wishlist for the government.

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DS Sigma Holdings Berhad is a packaging products provider, with an in-house manufacturing of corrugated paper packaging products including cartons, protective packaging and paper pallets. It is en-route for a listing on the Ace Market on 6 January 2023. Although the company has an established track record of 20 years, it operates in a competitive environment. We discuss its prospects with Lucille Teoh, its Managing Director and how its share price will do when it debuts.

There has been public outcry over the decision by the Petaling Jaya City Council to introduce a 90 sen charge for non-Malaysians who use the PJ City Bus service beginning January 15th. Adrian Pereira, Director of the North South Initiative, a social justice advocacy group tells us the wider implications of this move.

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