Penang, an exotic holiday destination of Malaysia, known for its soft sandy beaches, has two geographical divisions: Penang Island, in which George Town, the capital city is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Penang has been referred to as the food capital of Malaysia and is the most densely populated but at the same time, the most urbanized city of the country.
Penang’s economy, a high-income economy, is a vital contributor to the GDP of Malaysia as a whole. It has the highest GDP in Malaysia. Penang is also popular for its well-educated population, and there is a good proportion of the young literate population. So, when it comes to jobs in Penang, there are some wonderful avenues of employment. Some prominent MNCs have their offices in Penang, like Dell, Intel, Agilent, Renesas, Osram, AMD, Motorola, Bosch, Sony, and Seagate.
Major sectors offering lucrative jobs in Penang
To apply for jobs in Penang, which give good chances of growth prospects, the best-known sectors are as follows:
Industries and Manufacturing
Penang is referred to as the Silicon Valley of the East because of the significant growth of the industrial sector over the years. Industries have been the backbone of the economy for a long period of time, contributing more than 40% of the GDP. There are more than 3000 industrial units in the state. Electronics, Machinery, transport equipment, gold and jewelry are the best-known industries here. The Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone is the main electronics manufacturing hub of the country as a whole. Oil refineries have grown significantly here in Penang. There are huge prospects of growth in jobs in Penang in the industrial and manufacturing sector, as it has become the home for many high-tech multinational firms. There are local firms producing sugar, steel, rubber etc. Mattel, Hitachi, Mitsuoka, Pensonic, Chevron and Honeywell Aerospace are some leading MNCs offering jobs in the industrial sector.
Tourism
When it comes to jobs in Penang, the tourism sector is another important sector with lucrative job opportunities. Georgetown, the capital city is a World Heritage site. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Malaysia is Penang. It has a vibrant multicultural society, rich heritage and architecture, beautiful beaches and hills, and not to forget the cuisine. George Town is considered as one of Asia’s best street food cities by CNN. There are almost 8 million + tourist visits in Penang every year. Penang is Malaysia’s third-largest tourism tax contributor to the economy after Kuala Lumpur and Sabah. No wonder, the tourism sector has contributed to the employment of the local youths in different job profiles.
Service sector
Penang is also no less behind in the service sector. In fact, according to latest reports, the services sector has shown remarkable progress, contributing a major share to the GDP. It has contributed almost 50% of the GDP in recent time, thus surpassing the manufacturing sector as well. Almost, 3/4th of Penang’s population is involved in jobs in services sector. The various types of jobs in Penang in the services sector include jobs in retail, medical tourism, accommodation, food and beverages sectors, shopping malls, banks, and so on. Of all these, one upcoming sector contributing a lot in the service sector is medical tourism. Also, Penang receives a huge share of investments for Global Business Services (GBS) within the country because of the government’s initiative to promote Penang as a shared services and outsourcing (SSO) hub. Thus, there are reputed organizations offering jobs in Penang in this sector like as Citigroup, AirAsia, Jabil, Dell etc. The start-up sector offering various services related to IT, BPO has also been a promising sector for jobs. Other areas to look for jobs in Penang include trading, shipping, banking, finance, real estate etc.