PM reminds employers to take RM1,500 minimum wage seriously

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today sent out a reminder to employers that the minimum wage had been set at RM1,500 since May 1.

However, the prime minister said based on MYFutureJobs statistics until July, the salary range for most job vacancies offered nationwide was between RM1,200 to RM2,000 per month.

"The government is now actively developing a 'talent pool' that is skilled, productive and has high potential, but I am a little disappointed because the salaries offered by employers do not commensurate with the qualifications and work done by locals.

"As such, I request that employers take this matter seriously because employees are the pillars in any organisation; where they can 'make or break' a business," he said.

He said this when officiating at the launch of the JaminKerja Keluarga Malaysia Career Expo 2022 here.

Also present were Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad and Social Security Organisation (Socso) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz.

Ismail Sabri urged the Human Resources Ministry to hold discussions with employers and employee representatives to identify the best approach and solution to this problem.

In fact, he added, the National Labour Advisory Council can also be used to carry out tripartite consultations to reach a consensus for the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia.

The prime minister said the government was very concerned about the issues faced by the people and was always looking for the best methods to resolve them, including those related to unemployment and job loss.

To ensure this can be done effectively, various job-guarantee initiatives have been implemented to help those who were really affected and in need, he said.

"In an effort to narrow the gap between job supply and demand, national profiling needs to be developed by intensifying the implementation of job seeker profiling outreach programmes throughout the country," he said.

The prime minister said since the country entered the transition to endemic phase on April 1, the economy had been gradually recovering, while the unemployment rate fell to 3.9 per cent in April with 15.85 million people on the payroll.

"This development is the result of government initiatives through cooperation across ministries, implementing agencies and industry that has successfully helped to place more than 558,000 workers last year," he said.

Besides the ongoing Jamin Kerja expo, he said the Jamin Kerja Wage Incentive (JKIP) and MYFutureJobs job matching services have assisted some 113,672 members of Keluarga Malaysia.

The government, Ismail Sabri added, has also extended the JKIP programme to Dec 31 with focus given to the recruitment of workers from vulnerable categories such as persons the disabilities (PwD), women, those who lost jobs, tourism sector workers and ex-convicts.

Ismail Sabri also touched on the importance of the involvement of the younger generation, in addition to PwDs, both of whom are given the government's attention with various initiatives in providing better job opportunities for them.

He said a total of 36,281 PwDs have successfully obtained job placements through programmes and initiatives implemented by Socso.

"I also hope that the economic empowerment programme aimed at attracting the participation of persons with disabilities in entrepreneurship would be intensified, in line with Keluarga Malaysia Aspirations," he said.

Some 1,000 employers offering 30,000 jobs in various sectors are participating in the five-day mega expo, that began on Saturday.

-- BERNAMA