PRESS RELEASE

MINISTRY OF DIGITAL ADDRESSES CONCERNS OVER

EMPLOYMENT PASS PROCESSING FOR TECH TALENTS

PUTRAJAYA, 29 MARCH 2026 – The Ministry of Digital acknowledges concerns raised by industry stakeholders regarding recent revisions to the Employment Pass (EP) application guidelines and associated processing timelines affecting the Global Business Services (GBS) ecosystem.

The GBS sector remains an important pillar of Malaysia’s digital economy, contributing significantly to investment inflows, high-value job creation, and the nation’s standing as a competitive regional digital hub. In this regard, the Ministry views the matters raised with due seriousness.

The Ministry wishes to assure all stakeholders that the matters are currently under active and comprehensive review. We are engaging closely with relevant agencies, including the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency under the Ministry’s purview, as well as industry players, to better understand the challenges and to identify both immediate interventions and longer-term improvements.

MDEC has intensified its efforts to address the surge in new applications volumes and has scaled up its resources to accommodate rising demand. MDEC is also actively engaging with key industry associations, including GBS Malaysia (the Digital Global Business Services Council Malaysia, a chapter of PIKOM) and the Contact Centre Association of Malaysia (CCAM) to apprise stakeholders of this situation.

The Ministry and MDEC will continue to enhance inter-ministerial and cross-agency coordination, while implementing targeted process improvements to accelerate smoother approvals.

Further updates will be provided as the Ministry continues its review and engagement with all relevant stakeholders.

-END-

Issued by:

Ministry of Digital.