Chin Hin Group’s bold “Her Journey” initiative is transforming workplace culture across Malaysia by tackling a critical challenge: female workforce participation drops sharply between ages 30 and 45. The initiative offers flexible work, mentorship, and on-site daycare to help women balance career and family while also supporting those returning to the workforce with training and networking opportunities.
The programme was launched at Menara Chin Hin amid national data showing this very age group facing high dropout rates from employment. Chin Hin’s Group Managing Director, Chiau Haw Choon, described it not just as a programme but a pledge to weave inclusivity and equal opportunity into the company’s DNA. The event featured executives like UOB Malaysia CEO Ng Wei Wei and TalentCorp’s Mahuran Saro Sariki, who emphasized that inclusive policies and flexible pathways uplift not only businesses but the broader economy.
This mirrors broader efforts across Malaysia and beyond: Mastercard’s Strivers’ Hub, launched in partnership with The Asia Foundation, offers digital skills, mentorship, and financial resources to support women-led SMEs. Meanwhile, national frameworks like Wanita MyWira and the Career Comeback Programme complement such efforts with incentives and holistic support systems.
Amid mounting data, women-led SMEs now constitute 21% of Malaysia’s small businesses, yet female labour force participation remains at 56.3%, below the goal of 60% such initiatives become strategic necessities, not just ethical imperatives. Programs like Her Journey create real impact, easing time poverty, financial constraints, and social pressures that too often sideline women’s careers.
Ultimately, “Her Journey” offers more than flexible policies, it signals a shift toward workplaces that recognize women’s diverse needs and potential. In combining career re-entry support, family-first policies, and corporate leadership, Chin Hin is setting a higher benchmark. For Malaysian SMEs seeking to thrive, empowering women isn’t just the right move, it’s the smart one.
