500,257 job seekers able to secure jobs through 27 govt initiatives - PM

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said it was a very meaningful achievement considering the various challenges facing the labour market due to the COVID-19 outbreak since March last year, which resulted in the unemployment rate to soar to 5.3 per cent in May the same year.

Among the key initiatives that have contributed to this success, he said, are the hiring incentive programme, PenjanaKerjaya, and the Malaysia Short-Term Employment Programme (MySTEP).

"As of Dec 3, PenjanaKerjaya 2.0 has succeeded in providing placement for a total of 221,966 employees, exceeding the overall target of 200,000 thousand job opportunities for 2021.

"PenjanaKerjaya is run by the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) which provides salary incentives of up to 60 percent of the monthly salary to employers, as well as high skills training programmes or professional certificates to employees of up to RM7,000," he said in a statement here today.

The RM700 million government initiative, MySTEP, also surpassed the overall target of creating 50,000 jobs this year with the placement of 61,328 employees on a contract basis for at least six months in various government ministries and agencies, as well as government-linked companies (GLCs).

Of that number, a total of 41,680 people were given placement in the public sector, while the remaining 19,648 people in GLCs and their strategic partners.

"Under the programme, applicants are placed at various ministries and agencies, such as the Finance Ministry, Ministry of Higher Education, Public Service Commission, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Petronas, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Employees Provident Fund and Khazanah Nasional.

"Since PenjanaKerjaya 2.0 and MySTEP were first implemented last January, the number of jobs created has always exceeded the set monthly target," he said.

The prime minister said apart from PenjanaKerjaya 2.0 and MySTEP, the government had also managed to create more than 123,312 new jobs through investments in the country with 74.2 per cent of them in the skilled and semi -skilled categories.

Ismail Sabri said under the 2022 Budget, the government would create 600,000 job opportunities under the JaminKerja Keluarga Malaysia (JaminKerja) initiative, which would involve an allocation of RM4.8 billion.

"The government through SOCSO will continue its recruitment efforts through the JaminKerja initiative with an allocation of RM2 billion and will provide an incentive of 20 per cent of the monthly salary for the first six months and 30 per cent for the subsequent six months subject to employment with a salary of RM1,500 and above.

"The government hopes this effort can create 300,000 new jobs for next year," he said.

Apart from that, the government will also continue with the MySTEP initiative by offering 80,000 contract employment opportunities covering 50,000 jobs in the public sector and 30,000 jobs in GLCs and their strategic partners from January next year.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the strategy formulated by the National Employment Council (NEC) will be able to continue the momentum of job creation in the country in line with the recovery and opening up of various economic sectors.

He said NEC would also strive to address related issues, such as the shortage of workers in certain sectors, on providing equal opportunities for the vulnerable, as well as employment-related issues.

"This development can indirectly strengthen the household income of the Malaysian Family, especially the asnaf (those eligible to receive tithe), B40 and M40 groups," he said and thanked all the ministries, government agencies and GLCs that have contributed to the government's success in surpassing the target in creating job opportunities for this year.