IPOH, Feb 22 — Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad today said that it is incorrect to label Perak as an ageing society, despite previous estimation a decade ago as more pensioners moved here.
Saarani noted that this is no longer the case, as he believes more young people are choosing to stay in Perak due to the increased job opportunities available in the state.
“During our research to develop the Perak Sejahtera Plan 2030, we discovered that at least 110,000 young people migrated to different states in search of jobs between 2011 and 2020,” he said in a press conference at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here.
Saarani said the state government is developing Perak into an industrial state for more job opportunities, with projects such as the Automotive High Technology Valley (AHTV) in Tanjung Malim, Lumut Maritime Industrial City (LUMIC) in Manjung, and Kerian Integrated Green Technology Park (Kigip).
“We develop these places to attract investors to open their company here and provide job opportunities with the aim to stop young people from migrating to different state for job opportunities,” he added.
Malay Mail yesterday reported that decades-old businesses that have long been the backbone of Ipoh’s heritage are facing an uncertain future as ageing owners struggle to find successors.
Today, Malay Mail also reported how the current generation of young adults, especially those seeking career growth, are moving elsewhere searching for better job prospects.
According to official data the Department of Statistics Malaysia released last year, Malaysia is set to become an aged nation by 2040, sooner than previously expected.
The country will see over 17 per cent of its population aged 60 and above by then.
However, the issue is especially pressing in Perak, which has the country’s highest proportion of residents aged 60 and above at 14.9 per cent, with 9.9 per cent of its population aged 65 or older.
Under United Nations guidelines, a country is classified as an ageing society when over 7 per cent of its population is 65 years or older.
An aged society is reached when more than 14 per cent are 65 and above, and a super-aged society occurs when over 20 per cent of the population is above 65.
