ADB : Malaysia’s GDP to grow 4.5% in 2010

This looks like in tandem with our deputy Prime Minister’s announcement, as Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it expects Malaysia’s economy to return to growth in 2010.

According to a report by The Star Newsapper, the international development finance institution has forecast Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 4.5% next year.

It said Malaysia was expected to contract 2.5% in 2009 after registering minus 5.1% in the first half of the year and minus 1.2% in the third quarter.

The newspaper also noted that in a separate Asian Economic Monitor report for December 2009, the Manila-based institution said all the Asean-4 economies were pummeled by the precipitous drop in external demand but in terms of overall economic impact, Thailand and Malaysia were hurt the most.

700 Dell workers To Go with VSS

All is still not that well. Dell Malaysia is letting some 700 workers go via a voluntary separation scheme (VSS) exercise.

According to a report by The Star newspaper, the 700 include those in the operator, supervisory and managerial positions at its Bukit Minyak plant here.

Dell corporate communication senior manager Jasmine Begum said the VSS scheme was being implemented because Dell was transferring the division that manufactured notebooks for Latin America, Canada and US markets to the group’s global manufacturing network.

“This means that the Bukit Minyak plant will only manufacture notebooks, desktops and servers for the South Asian and Australian markets,” she said.

The move would enable Dell Malaysia to be more cost-effective in its operations, reduce delivery time and enhance the quality of the products manufactured, Begum said.

Fancy Maritime Job?

Love the sea? Fancy a maritime job? Fret not, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has 2,000 job vacancies nationwide, with various positions up for grabs.

Earlier Bernama report noted that pending the completion of its training centre in 2012, MMEA director-general Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish hopes the various positions would be filled by that year.

He said the construction of the centre at Sungai Ular in Jerantut, Pahang, was ongoing, adding that it was expected to be fully operational by the end of next year.

"By 2011, the centre is expected to be able to train up to 600 staff and 200 officers at a time.

"The vacancies would be filled in stages to ensure that maritime enforcement activities could be intensified indefinitely," Mohd Amdan said.

So, hope on the good foot and do the right thing.