Malaysia urges stronger care sector to lift women's labour participation

At the 5th Malaysia Sustainability Leadership Summit, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri stressed the need to strengthen the country's care economy to boost women's participation in the workforce. She reported that 42.8% of the 4.89 million women not employed attribute their status to household and caregiving responsibilities, and that almost one million women serve as both primary caregivers and sole breadwinners, often lacking formal support.

Shukri pointed to Malaysia's female labour-force participation rate of 56.6% in 2025, far below the 83.3% rate for men, as evidence of structural barriers. The minister introduced the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2026-2030, which aims to improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of childcare and eldercare while formalising caregiver training. She called for a Public-Private-People Partnership to treat family-friendly policies and flexible work as productivity investments rather than mere CSR. Attendees were urged to devise at least one concrete cross-sector collaboration with measurable outcomes within the year.