The prime minister of Malaysia Yab Dato' Seri Abdullah Bin Haji Ahmad Badawi has warned that the oil and gas industry must not allow the same exodus of human capital witnessed in the 1990s to occur again.

In comments made at the start of the month, the Malaysian state head noted that the last time oil prices dropped, a slew of trained workers left the oil and gas industry and were not fully replaced.

"This critical shortage of human capital was felt for many years afterwards and should remind us of the need for long-term planning," he warned.

Furthering this, Mr Badawi called on the oil and gas industry to increase cooperation with educational institutions to expand the training and development opportunities on offer and attract new talent to the sector.

This in turn, would put the industry in a better position to pursue long-term growth strategies, he concluded.

Setting out next year's budget, Mr Badawi iterated the country's commitment to the training and development of Malaysian workers to serve the economy.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development