Nearly half of Malaysia’s agricultural producers are aged 60 and above, while almost 78% are aged 46 and above. KPKM says employability at its training institutes rose to 81.2% in 2024 from 78.1% in 2023 and aims to raise it to 85% by 2030.

The strategic question is no longer whether poultry is important to Malaysia's food system. The real question is whether our production systems can remain resilient amid disease threats, climate stress, rising costs and changing market expectations.

MOH says over half, or 6,580, of 12,198 housemanship training slots nationwide were filled after the first three recruitment rounds in 2026. The ministry says current training capacity remains sufficient for the remaining three intake exercises.

Prof Arshil suggests retention and retirement benefits specifically for health workers, like an EPF-plus model with dedicated retention allowances, post-retirement health coverage guarantees, and specialised hazard/longevity benefits. Attrition is costly.