Greater KL is a highly vibrant and liveable city
3. Gateway to ASEAN and the
Asia-Pacific Region
Greater KL’s strategic location
in the heart of ASEAN makes
it a natural gateway to the 630
million population and easy
access to other growing markets
such as China, India and the
Middle East. This potentially
offers MNCs opportunities to
access the region’s increasing
affluent middle class market
with a GDP of US$ 2.4 trillion at
a growth rate of 5-7%.
We b e li eve t h a t t h e
combination of the enlarged
AEC market, Greater KL’s appeal
as a competitive destination
and the attractive Principal
Hub incentives, offer MNCs a
compelling value proposition.
4. Wealth of Talent
Greater KL’s well-educated
and highly skilled workforce
provides a stream of multilingual and multi-cultural talent
to MNCs regional operations
in the city. Named the ‘second
most competitive global city
in Southeast Asia’’ by the
Economist Intelligence Unit,
Greater KL is a magnet that
draws more than a third of the
country’s fresh graduates to the
area.
Ever y year, Greater KL
produces about 200,000
graduates from its 39 public and
private universities with degrees
in fields that include social
science, engineering, business
and finance, law, science and
mathematics, and computer
studies.
Talent in Greater KL is
also high proficient in English,
attested by Malaysia’s 11 th
placing in Education First’s
English Proficiency Test 2014,
which is the best in Asia. The
country is also ranked as
the Most Talent-Competitive
Country in Asia by IMD World
Talent Report 2014.
5. A Vibrant and Highly
Liveable City
Greater KL is a vibrant, multicultural city that is recognised
as one of the world’s most
liveable cities. The area has an
abundance of dining and leisure
options, a thriving artistic scene
and a vibrant nightlife. Its wide
array of shopping malls and
vibrant retail scene have earned
CNN’s vote as the “fourth best
shopping city in the world”.
Mercer ranks Greater KL
80 th among 200 countries in
its 2014 Quality of Living report
and 115th in its 2014 Cost of
Living report. These attest to
the fact that expatriates’ pay
packets can go a long way in the
capital city.
Greater KL also offers a
wide choice of accommodation
catering to different budgets,
ranging from studio and luxury
apar tments to houses in
guarded communities. It also has
excellent healthcare services,
20 international schools, 15
world-class golf courses, and
expatriate associations that help
newcomers and their families
settle in smoothly.
Going forward, several major
projects being planned under
the ETP are expected to make
Greater KL a cleaner, greener
and better-connected place to
live in over the coming years.
CONCLUSION
As the chair of ASEAN this year,
Malaysia is in a strong position
to take the lead in AEC-related
initiatives and leverage on
the potential of the enlarged
market. We hope MNCs will
take up this opportunity that the
Principal Hub incentives provide,
to grow their regional presence
in ASE AN with improved
operational efficiencies from
Greater KL.
73