By JAAYNE JEEVITA
Wednesday, 15 Apr 2026

SEMENYIH: Malaysia is experiencing a shortage of experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) despite attracting high-tech investments, ac­cor­ding to Datuk Chang Lih Kang (pic).

The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said the gap between demand and supply of STEM professionals has become more pronounced in recent years.

“As we bring in more high-tech investments, the need for skilled experts continues to grow,” he said during the launch of National Science Week 2026 (MSN) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) yesterday.

Despite the challenges, Chang said initiatives such as MSN can help spark greater interest among students in pursuing STEM pathways.

“The key national target is to achieve 60% student participation in the STEM stream.

“We hope more students will choose STEM because Malaysia truly needs this talent,” he said.

Chang also said Malaysia must strengthen its technological self-reliance as global geopolitical tensions grow increasingly unpredictable.

“The global geopolitical landscape is becoming more unstable.

“We need to build technological sovereignty so that we are not constrained by any party in such conditions,” he said.

He added that countries capable of developing and mastering their own technology will be more resilient, competitive and attractive to high-quality investments.

“The global semiconductor industry is currently valued at over US$600bil (RM2.4 trillion) and is expected to reach US$1 trillion (RM4 trillion) by 2030.

“Malaysia has long been a key player in this supply chain, contributing about 13% to the global market for semiconductor assembly, testing and chip packaging,” he said.

Chang said Malaysia must move beyond being a consumer of technology and instead nurture a generation of creators so that the country is not restricted when crises occur.

Citing recent global challenges, he pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing energy crisis as reminders that disruptions are inevitable.

“We hope that when crises occur, the country will remain safe and essential supplies such as vaccines will be sufficient,” he said.

He warned that countries without their own technological capabilities risk being sidelined during emergencies, particularly when critical resources are controlled by others.

“If such technologies are owned by others, they may prioritise their citizens like vaccines, for example,” he said.

Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/04/15/msia-facing-stem-talent-shortage