However, Dr Francis Hutchinson, Malaysia Studies Programme representative at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, believes that while reducing government is important,” very little focus” is placed on financial opportunities.
The thorough follow-up that follows an expenditure is frequently overlooked, he told CNA.
Existing investors choosing to improve their investments and perform more challenging tasks, according to Dr. Hutchinson, a significant factor in enhancing the JS-SEZ’s value chain and elegance of operations.
” So, contact companies must have the discipline to consistently follow-up with their current companies, and not just focus on attracting fresh people”, he said.
Even more important than incentives is for the JS-SEZ to get an adequate supply of qualified workers, continuous power and water, and reliable worldwide connections, he said.
Dr. Hutchinson acknowledged that Singapore and Johor are connected by the Causeway and Second Link, as well as the future Rapid Transit System Link, but he said more could be done.
The Causeway, for one, has become one of busiest land bridges in the world, with an estimated 300, 000 riders passing through everyday. And with Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority forecasting traffic amount at the Causeway to increase by 40 % by 2050, this figure is expected to increase.
According to him,” It might be worthwhile to consider adding a link between Changi and Pasir Gudang in Johor, which has a lot of businesses, because this would allow heavy vehicles to use this relationship and lessen the load on the Causeway.”
WHAT KIND OF JOBS May Get CREATED?
Dr Hutchinson noted that Johor, huge a maker of consumer gadgets, intends to expand its abilities and carry out higher value-added actions.
This comes amid a great need for the production of electronics, due to the spread of sky technology and the development of artificial intelligence.
However, Dr. Hutchinson cautioned that as output things become more advanced and conventional manufacturing processes extremely morph into companies, the number of jobs created by each successive purchase in the JS-SEZ is likely to be smaller.
” Great assets that generate 5, 000 work, including low-, middle-, and high-skilled tasks are extremely unusual. Then, you may have a high-end investment that generates 200 to 300 employment, most of which are high-skilled”, he said.
Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously said that the JS-SEZ aims to create 400, 000 new high-income job opportunities and lift household incomes to RM13, 000 ( US$ 2, 760 ) a month.