Malaysia is shifting its approach to overseas talent from encouraging professionals to return home toward building a more persistent global talent network. Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) has launched MyHeart Global Connect, a 15-member advisory council spanning 10 countries, designed to bring international expertise, mentorship and professional networks into Malaysia’s workforce and skills-development agenda.

For years, governments have treated skilled citizens working overseas primarily as potential returnees.

Malaysia is taking a broader approach.

Rather than viewing its diaspora only through the question of who might come home, the country is building mechanisms to use overseas Malaysians as an extension of its national talent ecosystem.

That strategy took a new step on 7 August 2026, when Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad (TalentCorp) established MyHeart Global Connect, a global advisory council comprising 15 Malaysians living across 10 countries.

The initiative was launched during Salam Dari Malaysia @ Singapore, an event attended by around 250 Malaysian professionals, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academics, students and community representatives in Singapore.

Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources, YB Dato’ Sri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, formally officiated the initiative, with H.E. Datin Paduka Anizan Siti Hajjar Adnin, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Singapore, also attending.

The underlying policy shift is significant.

Talent competition is increasingly global. Professionals can build careers across multiple markets, develop specialised expertise abroad and maintain professional networks that span countries and industries. A workforce strategy focused solely on repatriation risks overlooking the value that diaspora professionals can provide without permanently relocating.

MyHeart Global Connect is intended to create a more structured mechanism for capturing that value.

According to TalentCorp, the council will provide strategic insights, international perspectives and global networks to support Malaysia’s talent agenda. It is also expected to strengthen links between government, industry, academia and Malaysians overseas through mentorship, knowledge exchange, strategic partnerships and international collaboration.

That makes the initiative less about traditional talent return and more about talent circulation.

The distinction is increasingly relevant for workforce policymakers.

A Malaysian engineer working in Singapore, a researcher based in the United States or an entrepreneur operating in the United Kingdom can contribute expertise, connections and market knowledge to Malaysia even while remaining overseas.

Those relationships can support local companies entering international markets, universities building research partnerships, professionals developing new skills and policymakers understanding changes in global industries.

The approach also complements existing government programmes.

TalentCorp already operates the Returning Expert Programme and MyHeart, providing mechanisms for engaging Malaysians abroad and supporting talent mobility.

The new council is designed to build on those foundations with a more coordinated national framework.

TalentCorp Group CEO Biruntha Mooruthi said the initiative is intended to bring the expertise and international networks developed by Malaysians overseas into national conversations while complementing talent development within Malaysia.

Singapore is an important starting point.

TalentCorp said almost 4,000 Malaysians in Singapore are registered on MyHeart, making Singapore one of its strongest diaspora communities. It is also the largest source of applications under the Returning Expert Programme.

Geography helps explain that relationship. Singapore’s proximity to Malaysia creates substantial cross-border movement of workers, businesses and professional networks, while the two economies are closely connected through trade and investment.

The initiative also arrives as Malaysia seeks to strengthen its position in higher-value industries.

The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) is one example of the country’s broader effort to attract investment, generate quality employment and expand opportunities for Malaysian workers.

A stronger diaspora network could potentially complement such initiatives by connecting Malaysian companies and institutions with international expertise and commercial relationships.

The workforce implications extend beyond recruitment.

One of the most valuable functions of a global professional network can be knowledge transfer. Experienced professionals working abroad can mentor younger workers, advise companies entering foreign markets or help universities identify emerging skills requirements.

That could become increasingly important as technology changes the skills demanded by employers.

Artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital services, financial technology and other knowledge-intensive sectors are creating specialised skills markets in which international experience can be difficult to replicate quickly through domestic training alone.

Diaspora networks offer another route.

The launch event also highlighted this broader concept through filmmaker Raymond Tan, director of ITAM: A Sun Bear Story. Tan discussed how international experience and professional networks could contribute to Malaysia’s creative economy as he prepares to return to the country.

His example illustrates that global talent engagement is not restricted to engineering, technology or corporate management. Creative industries, academia, entrepreneurship and other professional fields can also benefit from international exposure.

For HR leaders and workforce strategists, Malaysia’s approach offers a useful case study in how countries can rethink talent mobility.

The traditional model is relatively linear: educate people domestically, lose some talent overseas, and attempt to persuade experienced professionals to return.

The emerging model is more networked.

Professionals can remain internationally mobile while maintaining structured relationships with institutions, employers, universities and policymakers in their home country.

That does not eliminate the importance of attracting talent back to Malaysia. Instead, it creates another layer of engagement that can operate before, alongside or after relocation.

The success of MyHeart Global Connect will ultimately depend on execution.

A council can provide access to expertise, but meaningful outcomes require mechanisms for turning advice into mentorship programmes, research collaborations, business partnerships, skills transfer and employment opportunities.

The initiative therefore represents an early step rather than a finished talent strategy.

Malaysia’s broader message, however, is clear: its workforce extends beyond its geographic borders.

As competition for skilled professionals intensifies worldwide, countries may increasingly compete not only to attract talent, but also to maintain productive relationships with citizens who build careers elsewhere.

MyHeart Global Connect is an attempt to turn that diaspora relationship into an organised workforce asset.

Market Landscape

The global competition for skilled workers is encouraging governments to rethink talent mobility and diaspora engagement.

Traditional talent-return programmes remain important, but they can be supplemented by networks that allow overseas professionals to contribute through mentoring, investment, knowledge exchange, research collaboration and business relationships.

For employers, this creates access to a wider talent ecosystem. For policymakers, it provides a way to maintain relationships with citizens who have developed expertise in international markets.

Malaysia’s approach is particularly relevant as the country seeks higher-value investment, stronger future skills and deeper integration with regional economic hubs such as Singapore.

The emerging model can be described as distributed talent development: domestic workforce programmes are supported by expertise, networks and experience located beyond national borders.

Top Insights

• Malaysia’s MyHeart Global Connect reframes diaspora engagement from talent repatriation toward knowledge transfer, mentorship and international networks supporting domestic workforce development.
• TalentCorp’s 15-member council spans 10 countries, creating a structured channel between Malaysian policymakers, industry, academia and experienced professionals overseas.
• Singapore’s large Malaysian diaspora makes it an important test case for using cross-border professional networks to strengthen skills, partnerships and career opportunities.
• The strategy could support Malaysia’s ambitions in higher-value industries by connecting local talent with international expertise, market knowledge and professional networks.

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