Stable employment market and growth predicted for 2004.
"Domestic workforce is benefiting from the move by multi-national corporations' decisions to choose Malaysia as the location for high-end service industries" (Hamid 2004 1).
Outsourcing is increasing employment.
China accused of dumping products in Malaysia. Nation's manufacturers are countering by targeting Asian niche markets in order to avoid direct price competition with dumped electronic goods. Companies are producing non-competitive products in larger quantities and reducing manufacturing of goods which are far cheaper when coming from China (TVs and cell phones, for example).
"Malaysia, one of the region's fastest-growing economies" (Prystay 2003 78).
Current government "will continueaVision 2020- a plan that calls for 7% real GDP growth a years for the next 17 years with the goal of making Malaysia a fully developed economy by 2020" (Jayasamkaram 2003 15).
The new government is cracking down on corruption and bid rigging. The new Malaysian Prime Minister has shelved "a controversial 14.5 ringgit ($3.8 billion) railway projectaand several other large and controversial infrastructure contract awards" (Lopez 2003 12).
While corporate taxation is 35%, there are many deductions for export: "Double deduction for promotion of exportaDouble deduction for promotion of Malaysian brandsaSpecial incentives to increase exporta" (matrade online 2004 1).
According to the CIA country report, there are now only 11 telephones per hundred population.
As mentioned above, there are questionable railway contracts now being examined and even cancelled by the new government.
Roads in Malaysia fall into two categories: federal roads and state roads. Federal roads include national expressways and highways under the administration of the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), as well as a number of toll roads, highways and oth...