The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) attracted RM88.83 billion in approved investments between January 2025 and June 2026, Economy Minister Akmal Nasir said on Nov 2.
The approved projects are expected to create 28,755 jobs, he said. About 45% of the total, amounting to RM40.30 billion, has already been realised and is projected to generate 12,796 jobs.
Akmal said Malaysia wants to sustain the momentum as the zone benefits both countries, their people and businesses. He was speaking after co-chairing the inaugural meeting of the Johor-Singapore Cooperation Ministerial Committee (JSCMC) with Singapore’s Minister for National Development, Chee Hong Tat. Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi was also present.
The committee was formed to strengthen bilateral cooperation, improve coordination and monitor the rollout of JS-SEZ initiatives. Akmal said the government expects investment to gather pace next year once the zone’s blueprint is in place, while Chee said the blueprint would set out the medium to long-term vision the two countries share for the region.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Singapore counterpart, Lawrence Wong, are expected to launch the JS-SEZ blueprint and master plan by the end of the year.
The zone covers 357,128 hectares in southern Johor, taking in the Iskandar development region, Forest City, the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex and Desaru. In July, the two countries were reported to be targeting 20,000 skilled jobs in the zone’s first five years, with early demand expected in manufacturing, logistics, data centres, business services, energy, tourism and professional services.