KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) is confident that the country will be able to achieve the target of generating 500,000 new jobs this year despite recording a high unemployment rate of more than four percent.
MEF executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said the government had announced that under the National Employment Council initiative, more than 240,000 new jobs were created in the first half of this year.
“The high unemployment rate of more than four percent is a matter of concern and, currently, it is not easy to get a job.
“…I believe that there are many opportunities for us to generate up to 500,000 new jobs this year,” he said on Bernama TV “Koresponden Bernama” programme today (July 7).
Shamsuddin said during the current situation, it is important for workers to remain persevere in their quest for jobs, upgrade their skills and also not to be choosy about the job offered to them.
On the Wage Subsidy Programme or PSU 4.0, he said the initiative has come as a great relief for many employers as most of them are facing cash flow constraints.
The government has allocated RM3.8 billion for PSU 4.0 under the People’s Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (Pemulih), which is expected to benefit 2.5 million workers and 242,000 employers nationwide.
“It is hoped that the programme can help employers sustain their business and retain their workers during these challenging economic conditions.
“This is very critical because we know that if workers lose their jobs at this present time, it would be very difficult for them to be employed again because many employers are still freezing the intake of new workers,” he said.
Shamsuddin added that the job creation programme, PenjanaKerjaya 3.0, was also very useful for employers because it provides specific incentives for them to hire new workers and train them as required.
He also welcomed the Human Resource Development Corporation’s decision to grant levy exemption to employers to enable them to pay for the cost of their workers’ vaccination programme.
“It is a much-welcomed initiative because those in the small and medium enterprises category really need assistance to help vaccinate their workers. – Bernama
