Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the contribution of workers in the country is the bedrock of national economic development under the National Transformation Policy introduced by the government.

He said without workers, all government plans under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) may not be realised.

"I am confident that productive workers are the pillar to all the successes of the ETP and GTP to date, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently.

"As announced by him, more than 1.5 million new employment opportunities were created from 2010 to 2014 in various sectors of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA).

"The government will continue efforts to increase the number of skilled workers to 50 per cent by 2020 and I believe workers in the country are prepared to grab these opportunities," he said in a statement in conjunction with Labour Day Friday.

Muhyiddin urged all workers to equip themselves with the latest knowledge to remain competitive in the workplace.

He said the government wanted workers to be competitive and to be ready to make changes in line with the aspirations of the government to make Malaysia a developed nation by 2020.

"Therefore, the first class mentality as well as physical and mental health of workers will determine their productivity in the years to come," he said.

He said the government was committed to continue protecting the interest of workers as they are vital for the development and progress of the people and country.

"As such, all facilities and infrastructure for health screening and examination will be the main agenda of the government so that workers can ensure they are in good health and raise productivity.

According to him, the theme of this year's Labour Day celebration 'Healthy Workers, Higher Productivity' is appropriate as only healthy workers could contribute to productivity in the workplace.

Considering the important role of workers as the determining factor for productivity, the Labour Day celebrations will continue to be held to appreciate the contributions of workers towards national development, he added.