Human Resources Minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said that Malaysia’s Wage Subsidy Programme with an allocation of RM18 billion through the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) has successfully saved 2.9 million employees from losing their jobs and assisted over 300,000 employers to date. He added that the programme is a very good approach to assist employers and employees affected by the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) and is well received by the group.
“Since the first week of the MCO, it can be seen that the Wage Subsidy Programme has become so popular among employees and the industry and in fact, there was great demand from the industry, with the government ensuring to provide sufficient allocation for the three phases of the MCO,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat Monday.
Saravanan said based on the Labour Force Survey Report issued by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) for the second quarter of this year (2Q21), the country’s unemployment rate stood at 4.8% or 768,700 people. However, Saravanan said in July this year, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 9,500 to record 778,200 people.
