Take opportunity to improve family economy with govt initiatives - PM

BERA: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not a reason for Keluarga Malaysia, especially the B40 group, to give up; rather it is appropriate to take the opportunity to improve the family economy through various initiatives provided by the government.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government, through the Ministry of Human Resources, always takes steps to ensure the welfare of workers and employers, particularly in the new economy, such as the gig economy.

For example, he said that in 2020 only a handful of gig workers were protected; currently more than 260,000 are protected through the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) of the Social Security Organisation (Socso), with government assistance towards their contributions.

"The 12MP (12th Malaysia Plan) also focuses specifically on the expansion of the gig economy as one of the new dimensions of the economy which needs attention.

"Under the Employment Insurance System offered by Socso, a total of 188,526 Keluarga Malaysia have received financial benefits amounting to RM1 billion, to help those affected continue their daily lives," he said.

He said this when officiating the Anak Muda Gegor Bera Carnival at the Bera Convention Hall, here today.

Also present were Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker; Socso chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and its chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.

The Prime Minister also said that HRD Corp's PENJANA programme had successfully provided retraining to nearly 100,000 Malaysians from various backgrounds, with an allocation of RM500 million from 2020 to 2021.

In addition, Ismail Sabri said that the positive impact of the JaminKerja Employment Incentive programme, implemented by Socso, will also be continued in the 2023 Budget.

"Based on Socso statistics up to Oct 28, the total number of JaminKerja applications received was 65,774 employees, with the involvement of 8,513 employers.

"A recent study on public perception towards the government and the Keluarga Malaysia policy conducted by Ilham Centre found that 82.5 per cent of the people want the JaminKerja programme to continue," he said.

Regarding the carnival, Ismail Sabri said the programme could be turned into an annual event and become a platform for the youth, especially in Bera, to explore job opportunities and improve their socio-economics.

In addition, the organisation of the carnival which, among other things, involves e-sports events, is also in line with the government's commitment to developing the sport through the allocation of RM13 million in the 2023 Budget.

The one-day carnival offers, among other things, a variety of activities specifically for young people such as e-sports competitions through Santai Esports and the JaminKerja programme that offers more than 1,500 job opportunities.

-- BERNAMA