KUALA LUMPUR – The government has helped 127,237 job seekers as of July 29 to secure employment through a jobs guarantee programme, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
The programme, Jamin Kerja-Insentif Penggajian (JKIP), aims to help some 300,000 people, including fresh graduates and those in vulnerable groups such as the disabled, retirees and the elderly, to secure employment throughout 2022.
During Question Time in Parliament today, Saravanan also listed other initiatives by the government to reduce the unemployment rate to pre-pandemic levels.
“Based on data by the Statistics Department, during the height of the pandemic, unemployment was recorded at 4.1% in January 2021.
“Through government efforts, unemployment has been reduced to 3.9% as of May 2022.
“However, unemployment levels have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels of 3.2%,” said Saravanan to a question by Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh (Sri Gading-Pejuang) on the employment situation.
The government has also allocated RM2 billion for JKIP with a total of RM475 million allocated to the Social Security Organisation to hire 55,000 workers from vulnerable groups, the MIC deputy president said.
In the JKIP pioneer project, 5,932 employers, who hired fresh graduates between the age of 18 to 30, were given an incentive of RM900 a month for six consecutive months.
Employees in the pioneer project were given a six-month contract with a RM1,500 monthly wage.
Other incentives also include the establishment of jobs placement centres by the Human Resources Development Corporation.
As of July 31, 43,903 jobs have been listed on the placement centre, of which some 6,000 have been filled through this platform.
“Of that number, 60% or 3,600 workers are youth, with a majority of them earning wages above RM2,000,” said Saravanan.
Similarly, as of July 31, some 85,527 trainees have benefitted through the Penjana HRDF initiative, aimed at helping Malaysians to upskill and reskill themselves, as well as providing job placement.
Saravanan also revealed that as of July 29, some 1,487 individuals have benefitted from the Job Search Allowance (SIP EMP+) which is given to the unemployed or those who have lost their jobs.
The government has also extended the SIP EMP+ to 19,234 ineligible individuals as of July 29. – The Vibes, August 8, 2022
