The funds have been channelled to 75,262 employers, allowing them to maintain employment of 659,066 workers.
The facility aims to provide relief and support the recovery of SMEs in the services sector, and brings the total allocation to RM$6 billion.
The government’s guidelines stipulate that only 60% of employees in selected sectors can report to the office.
Some RM$500 million would be allocated to the unemployed, benefiting around 1 million recipients who will each receive RM$500.
A survey revealed that only 16% of SMEs expect their businesses to recover only in 2023, citing movement restrictions as dampening business demand.
The Ministry of Human Resources has urged workers and employers affected by the pandemic to apply for benefits under the Employment Insurance System.
The government still has a balance of RM$6 billion for its wage subsidy programme, which can guarantee wage payments for 2.7 million workers.
The digital system will be able to automate and combine various payroll, compensation and deduction functions into one simple application.
Enforcement authorities create more confusion, instead of allowing employers to focus on carrying out their duties, said the MEF president.
This follows after the nation extended its movement control order (MCO) 3.0 for another two weeks from June 15 to June 28.
The employers' group has urged the government to provide a moratorium on compulsory contributions to tide small businesses through tough times.
It proposed a one-month state of emergency where all economic activities are halted, while essential services continue to operate at 50% capacity.
Companies participating in the programme that sees their employees vaccinated need to pay for the additional costs involved.
Bank Negara Malaysia has facilitated around RM12.06 billion (US$2.9 billion) worth of soft loans for SMEs which have been approved by local banks.
The number of unemployed persons in April totalled 742,700 persons, falling by 0.1 percentage point or 10,500 persons month-on-month.
Staff are encouraged to report incidents where their workplace exceeds the 60% capacity, or they are asked to work despite the need for quarantine.
SMEs adversely hit by the full lockdown can now enroll in the Targeted Repayment Assistance (TRA) programme offered by banks.
The government has been asked to extend the wage subsidy programme throughout all phases of MCO and [Conditional] MCO, or at least till December.
RM$2.1 billion (US$0.51 billion) will be distributed to lower-income workers who earn less than RM5,000 (US$1,212) each month.
The Department of Labour could be given more authority to penalise companies who fail to comply to WFH orders.
Businesses have been told to form their own internal audit committees to ensure compliance to the stricter SOPs under the MCO.
These include making sure that premises are equipped with a safe entry QR code, thermometers and hand sanitisers
This brings the total amount of a COVID-19 response fund to RM$65 billion, most of which has been allocated to save jobs and subsidise daily expenses.
The government has further tightened MCO measures, which include a mandate of more WFH arrangements and a cap on operating hours.
The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation remains committed to elevating the digital skills of workers, thereby boosting the country’s competitiveness.
The decision not to have a full lockdown that shuts down the economy will help prevent rising unemployment that could affect 1 million people.
Klang MP Charles Santiago has called on the government to grant a six-month moratorium on loans to save small businesses and jobs.
Employers in Malaysia have been warned that they risk closure if staff are not allowed to self-quarantine while waiting for COVID-19 screening results.
In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia, the government has imposed a nationwide movement control order.
The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has announced plans to protect 200,000 active self-employed individuals by the end of this year.