KUALA LUMPUR – The wage subsidy programme implemented over the past nine months involves an allocation of more than RM15 billion, said Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Abd Rahim Bakri, and will be extended a further three months for the tourism sector.
As of October 31, the government has channelled RM12.5 billion under the programme, helping 2.7 million workers and more than 330,000 employers, he said.
"Given that many workers are still affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in the tourism sector, the government, through Budget 2021, has extended the implementation of the wage subsidy programme for an additional three months specifically for the tourism sector, including its retail sector, by providing RM600 per month for workers earning RM4,000 and below.
“Furthermore, the limit in number of employees eligible to receive the wage subsidy per employer has been raised from 200 employees to 500,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to Datuk Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (PH-Lumut) on whether the government plans to increase the number of wage subsidy recipients and extend the programme's period until the end of the pandemic.
Rahim said the additional RM1.5 billion allocated for the programme is expected to benefit 70,000 employers and 900,000 employees.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz had announced the extension of the wage subsidy programme with a more targeted approach during the tabling of Budget 2021 last month. – Bernama, December 15, 2020
