KUALA LUMPUR: Affordable childcare centres are to be set up in a move to get more women to join the labour force, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Announcing this as one of the initiatives of the Care Economy, he also said that the government would allocate RM10 million to facilitate the licensing of unregistered nurseries and childcare centres in the country.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, made the announcement at the launch of the ‘MADANI Economy: Empowering the People’ initiative here.
He said the rate of participation of women in the labour force was at a low 55.5 per cent and should be raised to 60 per cent for Malaysia to be more comparable in terms of the regional economy. Comparatively, the rate of participation of men in the labour force is 80.9 per cent, he added.
Anwar said efforts in terms of the legal and regulatory aspects, as well as support programmes, are needed to encourage mothers to return to work and bridge the gender divide in the labour market. – BERNAMA
