KUALA LUMPUR - InvestKL has attracted seven global multinationals with approved and committed investments of RM1.92 billion in the first half of 2021, creating 1,207 regional jobs.

InvestKL chief executive officer Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli said this was testament of foreign investors' confidence in Malaysia despite the disruptions caused by Covid-19.

"This reflects the country's solid fundamentals and investor-friendly policies," Azmi said in a statement today.

He said the MNCs were involved in various sectors ranging from financial services, food technology and infrastructure to data and software solutions.

"They represent a balanced mix of countries and regions including the US, Europe, China, and Japan. These companies will offer regional job opportunities to Malaysians while helping to upskill them," he added.

Azmi said InvestKL had made great progress since the Greater Kuala Lumpur (GKL) Live Lab and Fit4Work initiatives were launched in April this year.

The GKL Live Lab programme has secured three companies, achieving its target for the year ahead of schedule.

The Fit4Work initiative, meanwhile, has trained 120 graduates in the first half of 2021, making great progress towards the goal of training a total of 160 people this year to help raise the competitiveness of young graduates.

Azmi said GKL Live Lab and Fit4Work were designed to help revitalise the nation's innovation capacity and build a pool of globally competitive Malaysian talents to complement the kind of high-value, high-technology and high-growth companies we are aiming to attract.

"This is in line with the National Investment Aspiration (NIA) that is aimed at striking a balance between economic development and environmental sustainability," he said.

Since InvestKL's inception in 2011 until the end of June 2021, RM11.56 billion or 65 per cent of the RM17.73 billion investments have been realised.

In addition, 10,850 or 71 per cent of the 15,318 high-skilled regional jobs are already on the payroll, with an average salary of RM10,384.

Azmi said as the business landscape shifts in a prolonged pandemic environment, companies were carefully re-assessing strategies and deferring investment plans.

He said by showcasing Malaysia's growth and resilience in the next remaining months, InvestKL was confident that the country would restore investor confidence.