She said in order to create the infrastructure for the care economy her ministry has begun informal discussions with several ministries, including the education ministry and higher education ministry.

“Experts are needed for the care economy industry to really grow.

“The ministry will also have to work things out together with all other institutions providing such services,” she told reporters at the Asia Pacific Care Economy Forum here.

In her opening remarks earlier, Nancy said Malaysia’s female labour participation rate is one of the lowest in Asean with 55.6% participation even though women comprise more than 70% of students in universities.

She said investment in education and the government’s effort in care initiatives have given women greater employment opportunities but have not improved the labour force participation rate very much.

“What we want now is for women who are carers to be able to see themselves in employment terms and become care entrepreneurs so that they also can experience personal development,” Nancy said.

Meanwhile, United Nations resident coordinator in Malaysia Karima El Korri told reporters that the care economy provides an opportunity for a country’s economic growth.

“The government’s role is in policy, setting standards and regulating. It is a multidisciplinary area which involves at least seven or eight ministries,” she said.