ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor is expected to attract some RM5.52bil worth of investment this year, a slight reduction from RM6.7bil it recorded in 2020.

       As of March this year, the state had attracted RM1.7bil worth of investments with RM369mil by foreign investors.

       State investment, cooperatives, entrepreneurship development and human resources committee chairman Datuk Mohd Izhar Ahmad said the investments from the 49 companies were expected to create some 5,394 job opportunities in the state.

       "Based on a report from Invest Johor, the cumulative value of investments that has potential to be brought into the state as of Sept 5 is RM5.52bil.

       "We are only waiting for the agreements to be confirmed," he said in his winding-up speech at the state assembly sitting here on Tuesday (Sept 7).

       Mohd Izhar said in last year's total investment, RM4.2bil was foreign investments while RM2.58bil was from locals.

       He said the investments involved 232 companies or projects which created a total of 13,502 job opportunities.

       On another matter, Mohd Izhar said the unemployment rate in Johor in the second quarter of this year had also dropped to 3.8% compared to 4.6% during the same period last year.

       "The number of unemployed people in Johor in the second quarter of 2021 has dropped to 67,800 compared to 81,200 during the same period last year.

       "Meanwhile, the size of the workforce in Johor during the second quarter of this year has dropped to 847,600 compared to 857,400 during the same quarter last year," he said.

       Mohd Izhar added that based on statistics from the Social Security Organisation, some 12,000 vacancies have been offered in Johor as of Aug 27.

       "Based on records, the number of individuals that have lost their jobs between January and Aug 13 is 3,915.

       "The manufacturing sector had the highest number of jobs lost with 1,278," he said.