PUTRAJAYA, March 1 — Former minister Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar today suggested a policy to require companies to disclose how diverse and inclusive their workforce were, a proposal the Bursa Malaysia chairman believed could nudge employers to hire more Bumiputera.

Speaking at the seventh Bumiputera Economic Congress here, Wahid mooted a mandatory DEI disclosure policy as one of six proposals to increase Bumiputera economic participation, a key target set decades ago but is yet to be met.

DEI, the initials for “diversity, equity and inclusivity,” has become a key criterion for investment in a market where investor-activists are growing in numbers. Some of the biggest blue-chip companies in the world have DEI hiring policies to accommodate people from less privileged communities.

Wahid suggested a mandatory DEI disclosure could incentivise Malaysian companies to employ more Bumiputera since a diverse workforce could draw more investments.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/03/01/bursa-chief-moots-mandatory-diversity-disclosure-to-nudge-firms-toward-more-bumi-hires/120800