EMPLOYEES with talent and skills in Penang will be given a chance to own affordable housing in the state, in a move to stem the brain drain.

State Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said investPenang recently proposed to the Selection Process Enhancement Committee (SPEC) that a certain percentage be allocated to skilled workers.

He said: “investPenang has proposed that for ‘talents and skill’ from other states, the minimum five-year work experience in Penang be waived.

“SPEC has agreed to adopt this as long as the other criteria are met.

“However, SPEC doesn’t agree to allocating a quota for this group of people.”

In the criteria now, an eligible applicant must be a Penang-born, employed and also a registered voter in Penang.

Those who are not Penang-born must prove that they have been residing and working here for the last five years. They must also be a registered voter in Penang.

Jagdeep said successful applicants would now have to live in Penang for at least five years from the date of the handover of keys to their unit.

“Based on a survey, there will be 13,088 new jobs in the private sector in the fields of engineering, accountancy and technology by 2017,” he added,

He was speaking at a press conference in Komtar.

Keen applicants under the skilled workers category can contact investPenang at PSDC Building 1, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Bayan Lepas.