Malaysia is losing talent and foreign workers to Singapore as the Sentosa integrated resort (IR) project gets under way, said industry officials in Johor Baru.

Lured by higher pay and better prospects, professionals - from accountants to civil engineers to quality management staff - are crossing over to Singapore, joined by highly skilled foreign workers, reported Chinese-language daily China Press.

The result: Mega-projects like the newly launched Iskandar Malaysia project are facing a possible crunch in human resources back in Johor Baru.

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