Only 21.9 per cent self-employed individuals contribute to Socso - Sivakumar

Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar, said that based on the latest data up to June 18, the number is far lower than the actual number of those eligible to contribute under the scheme.

"The number of self-employed individuals, based on statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), is 2.89 million people. Of that number, only 21.9 per cent contribute to SKSPS.

"The largest number of contributors is from the professional services sector which is 32.3 per cent, followed by goods and food transport (17.5 per cent) and passenger transport (13.3 per cent)," he told the media after visiting the Socso Rehabilitation Centre here today.

Sivakumar said that the lowest percentage of contributors were from the data processing sector at 23 people (0.00 per cent), forestry at 345 people (0.05 per cent) and accommodation premises at 507 people (0.08 per cent).

"Perhaps these people don't know that they can actually contribute or maybe think that only those who have an employer are eligible to contribute.

"Also, it could be that they don't know what the role of Socso is, how Socso can help them and mostly they always think nothing will happen to them but... anything can happen to anyone at any time," he said, adding that his ministry would increase the campaign to introduce the scheme for the welfare and social security of the group.

He said that, since its launch on 1 June 2017 under the Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017, SKSPS protects self-employed individuals in 20 sectors, and has paid benefits worth RM15.5 million to 4,890 contributors.

Meanwhile, the Kuala Terengganu Socso Rehabilitation Centre, which is the only satellite rehabilitation centre operating on the east coast to assist the rehabilitation treatment process of insured individuals, has provided rehabilitation treatment benefits to 515 patients.

A total of 111 of those who sought treatment have returned to work since it began operating on June 28, 2020.