1,003 employers in Johor cease operations due to pandemic

ISKANDAR PUTERI: A total of 1,003 employers in Johor have stopped their business operations due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Johor State Assembly was told today.

State Investment, Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Human Resource Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Izhar Ahmad said this was the figure provided by the Johor Manpower Department for the pandemic period in 2020 and 2021.

"Of this figure, 739 employers folded up in 2020 and 264 employers ceased operations in 2021.

"As to the question of how many workers in Johor were affected in this period, 12,231 local workers were affected or laid off," he said when winding up the debate on the Johor Budget 2022.

Mohd Izhar said 9,512 local workers lost their jobs in 2020 and 2,719 had been laid off so far this year.

Earlier, in reply to oral questions, he said 27,410 individuals in Johor had found jobs under the Social Security Organisation's Employment Insurance System (EIS) between June 15, 2020 and Nov 5 this year.

During the same period, 25,221 locals had undergone training under the same initiative, he added.

Mohd Izhar (PN-Larkin) said there were 40,149 job vacancies in Johor until Oct 29 this year.

The sectors reporting these vacancies were the lodging sector, food and beverage services, manufacturing, commerce wholesale and retail, transport and storage, and other services, he said.

Mohd Izhar said this when replying to questions from Md. Ysahrudin Kusni (PH-Bukit Naning) and Hahasrin Hashim (BN-Panti) on the job opportunities created post-COVID-19.

-- BERNAMA