The Cabinet has given the go-ahead for The Human Resoures Ministry to implement the minimum wage policy through a specially created council.

NONE The bill for establishing the Natational Wage Consultation Council will be tabled in the next session of Parliament, Minister S. Subramaniam *( right ) said in Petaling jaya today.

"The implementation (of the minimum wage) and all future decisions on it will be done through the council based on the power which will be provided by the new act, he told reporters after opening a conference and exhibition on human capital development.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak when tabling the Budget 2010 had said the council would be the main platform for wage determination in the country.

He said the council would comprise representatives of employers, trade unions, non-unionised employees, government agencies, academia, non-governmental organisations and individuals.

Najib had said that the Human Resources Ministry would be the secretariat for the council.

Earlier in his speech, Subramaniam said only 28 percent of the 9.8 million workforce in the country are employed in the higher skilled jobs.

He said the government aims to achieve 33 percent highly skilled workers by 2015 and 50 per cent by 2020.

"Under the Economic Transformation Programme, about 3.3 million new jobs will be created, of which 60 percent will be of high skill category," he noted.

- Bernama