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KUALA LUMPUR: The initiatives proposed by the government in the 2021 Budget could provide a second chance for those who lost their jobs due to Covid-19.
The Executive Director of the Malaysia Employers’ Federation (MEF), Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan (pix) considered the government’s move to provide allowances for job creation opportunities, largely in the form of “placement and training” programs through “refresher” and “refresher” courses, as a good move.
“Regarding the overall budget, despite financial constraints, the government has done everything possible to put the economy back on the right track and provide assistance to employers, workers and people,” he told Bernama.
Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, when introducing the 2021 budget last Friday, said that a total of RM 1 billion would be allocated through various government agencies to improve skills and recycling programs for the employees.
Apart from that, a total of RM3.7 billion is allocated for the implementation of the Job Generation Guarantee Plan (JanaKerja), which involves the provision of 500,000 new job opportunities that would also include the implementation of various job update programs. skills and recycling.
The government also plans to extend the employment benefit period under the Employment Insurance System (SIP) by three months, which implies a cost of RM150 million and is expected to benefit 130,000 job seekers.
Shamsuddin, citing SIP data, said that this year alone, around 90,000 local workers lost their jobs.
“So those who lost their jobs have a social network through the SIP, with the assignment extended for three months, so the guarantee is there, where, even if they lose their job, they still receive a temporary assignment while they take courses to get a job. new job. ,” he said.
Meanwhile, an independent economic analyst, Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Zakariah Abdul Rashid, said that the important thing is that economic activities continue so that new job opportunities are created.
“Whatever the government’s initiative, it depends on economic activities. Jobs can only be created if there is an economic activity.
“During this pandemic period, I think skills training is not that critical yet because it is not skills enhancement that we want, but to keep jobs. What happens now is that there is no work due to the Movement Control Order, because there is no economic activity ”, he added.
However, the former executive director of the Malaysian Economic Research Institute supported all government initiatives if they are aimed at reducing unemployment, which he said would increase with the implementation of the Conditional Movement Control Order.
“Whatever it is, the financial burden falls on the government, the option we have now is for economic activities to work,” he added.
Tengku Zafrul was also reported to have said that the average unemployment rate over the past 10 years was 3.2 percent or around 500,000 unemployed, but after the Covid-19 pandemic, it had risen to 5.3 percent or 820,000 unemployed in May. 2020, the highest since 1989.
However, according to Tengku Zafrul, through the reopening of the economy and the implementation of the Prihatin and Penjana initiatives, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.7 percent in August 2020.
Coordinating various initiatives across ministries and agencies to create job opportunities, upgrade skills and train employees under the 2021 Budget, the government also announced the establishment of the National Employment Council, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. – Called
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