DUN Sarawak: 90 percent of employees in the new branch IKEA is Sarawak

KUCHING, Oct 21: More than 90 percent of the employees hired to work for IKEA's first branch in Kuching are Sarawak children, ahead of the opening of the furniture and home furnishings store this December.

Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the opening of the branch reflects the development of the state service sector which continues to attract new investment in retail, tourism and healthcare industries.

"In December of this year, IKEA will open its first branch in East Malaysia in Kuching, and I am happy that over 90 percent of the employees that IKEA has hired so far are Sarawak children", he said.

He said this during his speech on the roll-out of the Supply Bill (2027), 2026 and the Proposal to Refer Budget Resolution for Development Expenditure for the Year 2027 at the 19th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Conference today.

Earlier, IKEA Malaysia announced the opening of its first store in East Malaysia using a small-scale concept, as opposed to the four large-scale stores currently operating in the country.

In the meantime, Sarawak continues to attract strategic investments in high-tech sectors including Western Digital's RM1.8 billion glass substrate facility at Sama Jaya to produce material for next generation data storage technology.

At the same time, OCI Tokuyama Semiconductor Materials is developing a RM2 billion plant to produce semiconductor grade polycrystalline silicon which has been described as the first facility of its kind in Southeast Asia.

In addition, a framework agreement between SoftBank, Grab and PETROS was also signed on 8 October to explore the development of digital infrastructure platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) in Sarawak.

The development reflects the state's efforts to attract investment in various sectors as well as create economic and employment opportunities for locals.