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PETALING JAYA: The Penang government will mobilize its resources to help thousands of Sony employees affected by the closure of its Perai plant in September.
Chief Deputy Minister II P Ramasamy said the state government would work with both public and private sector agencies to find jobs for displaced workers.
“The most important question is: How are we going to provide employment opportunities that benefit those laid off?
“Federal agencies like Socso under the Ministry of Human Resources can provide services such as registration, job search and incentives for employers,” he said, adding that state agencies like InvestPenang, with their network of industry players, could also help with searching for jobs.
“If there is a need for retraining, then the Penang Skills Development Center can get involved as well,” said Ramasamy, who is also the Perai Assemblyman.
Yesterday, the chairman of the Committee on Domestic and International Trade, Halim Hussain, confirmed that Sony’s 36-year-old operations in Perai will come to an end next September.
It said 3,400 employees, consisting of 1,800 Malaysians and 1,600 foreigners, would be affected by the shutdown.
He also mentioned that with the state getting RM10 billion in foreign direct investment this year, more than 9,000 jobs would soon be created, so there was hope that those laid off could go back to gainful employment.
