Malaysia creates 320,000 jobs through dedicated jobs programme
- Claire Lee
- Topics: Home Page - News, Malaysia, News, Recruitment
The Malaysian government has created 320,000 jobs through its dedicated jobs programme, called the National Employment Council (NEC) initiative, according to Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Under the second phase of the programme, over 141,000 people have managed to secure jobs, he said, while the third phase has seen improvements introduced, such as “easing the employment contract period for workers aged 50 and above, the disabled and ex-prisoners”.
To help people find jobs, the government has allocated RM2 billion (US$0.47 billion) under the PenjanaKerjaya programme.
The NEC was established with the goal of creating 500,000 jobs and skills training placements through collaboration between government agencies and industry players.
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The government is also aware of the financial commitments facing SMEs and micro-entrepreneurs such as bills, rent and employee salaries, noting that continuous assistance has been provided and will continue to be implemented, the minister said.
“SMEs that experience a reduction in income due to COVID-19 will be given a wage subsidy of RM600 (US$142) per month for each employee, limited to 500 employees,” he added.
