Employment Act and other laws to be reviewed

WORKERS in the private sector are in for improved terms and conditions of employment, appointment and dismissal once the Employment Act 1955 and related laws are reviewed.

Also to be included in the review are flexible working hours and termination benefits that will safeguard workers’ welfare.

An employment insurance system aimed at helping retrenched workers will also be introduced.

Apart from temporary financial aid, the scheme will provide opportunities for re-skilling and up-skilling.

The review is among measures outlined in Budget 2015 to develop human capital and entrepreneurship.

The JobsMalaysia portal would also be upgraded to meet the needs of an increasingly dynamic labour market.

There were a total of 13.5 million jobs in the second quarter of the year, an increase of some 1.6 million compared to 2010.

To intensify up-skilling and re-skilling, a new programme called Globally Recognised Industry and Professional Certification (1MalaysiaGRIP) would be implemented.

The programme will be allocated RM300mil in matching grants between the Government and the Human Resources Development Fund to train 30,000 workers.

A sum of RM30mil has also been set aside to provide technical training and educational assistance to Indian youth, particularly those from low-income families.

To optimise the 32 Labour Department training institutes, the Government will leverage the double-shift training capacity for full-time programmes comprising 176 courses with high demand in the labour market.

With intake twice a year, an estimated 48,000 students will be trained over five years with a RM570mil allocation.