The human resources minister said that 98% of the collected amount – equivalent to RM2.27 billion – was allocated for training programmes, a significant increase from the 81% or RM1.7 billion allocated in 2023.

“This is a major achievement for HRDCorp. It shows that the levies collected from employers are being fully utilised for workforce training and development.

“Our goal is to ensure that every ringgit is used effectively to benefit Malaysian workers and industries,” Sim said in Dewan Rakyat today when winding up the debate on the royal address.

He also affirmed the ministry’s commitment to transparency and cooperation with the authorities following concerns raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the firm’s financial management, which prompted calls for greater oversight.

Sim said he would not point fingers at anyone in regard to PAC’s concerns.

“I will not take such an approach. Let the authorities determine if any wrongdoing has occurred,” he said.

He added that his ministry had been the first to officially report to the authorities following the auditor-general’s findings.

“We did not ignore PAC’s recommendations. In fact, we took immediate action by lodging a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and the ministry’s secretary-general and HRD Corp’s CEO personally submitted the report.”

MACC cleared the HRD Corp management of wrongdoing in December.

According to a PAC report on HRD Corp, the anti-graft agency said no offence under the MACC Act had been committed.

MACC said in July that its probe into HRD Corp, following the issues outlined in the 2024 auditor-general’s report, was focused on corruption, abuse of power, and the misappropriation of funds.