KUCHING: Sarawak’s expanding economic opportunities are creating greater prospects for local talent to build their careers in the state, including in the growing creative industry.
Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) chief executive officer Datuk Sudarnoto Osman said creating the right “playing field” was crucial to retain local talent.
He said this could give them opportunities to pursue careers that matched their skills and training.
“We are not just looking at talent development, but also at the opportunities that we can create for these talents to stay in Sarawak.
“That is why we need to create the playing field for these people. Then they will be able to pursue what they love and what they have been trained for,” he said during a fireside chat here on Tuesday (Aug 11).
Sudarnoto said Sarawak’s economic landscape had become increasingly vibrant in recent years, with opportunities expanding across the creative industry and other sectors.
“Our playing field is getting wider and wider, not only in the creative industry but in other industries as well.
“We are now getting more and more people to come back because they feel that Sarawak is more vibrant and there are more reasons for them to return and be here.”
He also offered a broader perspective on brain drain, saying it should not be viewed solely in terms of skilled people physically moving elsewhere.
He said skills could also be underutilised when individuals ended up working in fields different from those they had been trained for.
“When people talk about brain drain, they always talk about physical movement, but in actual fact, it is not only that.
“Sometimes you have been trained in one area, but you end up doing something else. That is also brain drain.”
Citing animation graduates as an example, Sudarnoto said creating opportunities within the industry would allow those with specialised training to pursue careers aligned with their skills.
“That is why we need to create the right playing field for our talent, so they can pursue what they are passionate about and build careers in the fields they have been trained for.”
