KUALA LUMPUR: The government has channelled RM20.92 billion to 357,904 employers through the wage subsidy programme (PSU) to sustain the jobs of 2.96 million local workers in a bid to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said for PSU 1.0, 322,177 employers and 2.64 million workers benefited from it under the PRIHATIN and PENJANA economic stimulus packages with wage subsidy applications approved hitting RM12.958 billion up to July 15, 2022.
Under PSU 2.0 up to July 15, 2022, a total of RM1.408 billion had been distributed to 81,164 employers for the benefit of 719,174 workers.
"For PSU 3.0 in the same time period, RM3.775 billion was distributed to162,317 employers to sustain the salaries of 1.53 million workers.
"In fact, PSU 3.0 has been improved under the PERMAI, PEMERKASA, and PEMERKASA+ economic packages,” the finance minister said in the 105th People’s Financial Report released today.
Tengku Zafrul said under the PEMULIH economic package, the government implemented PSU 4.0 with an allocation of RM3.8 billion which benefitted 2.5 million workers.
"In the period up to July 15, 2022, RM2.57 billion was distributed to 163,942 employers so that they continue to operate, helping to sustain the jobs of 1.92 million workers,” he added.
For PSU 5.0, RM210.189 million was distributed to 7,928 employers up to July 15, 2022, which enabled them to continue their operations and sustain the salaries of 119,813 workers.
Meanwhile, Tengku Zafrul revealed that 33,456 participants have been successfully placed in the public sector and government-linked companies under the Malaysia Short-term Employment (MySTEP) programme up to July 15, 2022. Of that number, 17,446 workers were placed in the public sector while 16,010 people were put in GLCs.
To help young people with disabilities (OKU) find jobs, Tengku Zafrul said the government has prepared a quota of one per cent of job placement opportunities under the MySTEP programme for them. "The government very much encourages the OKU community to take advantage of the opportunity and participate through the MySTEP portal,” he added.
The finance minister added that the Professional Training and Education for Growing Entrepreneurs (PROTÉGÉ) Ready-to-Work programme under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) can help in the marketability and entrepreneurship of graduates, with the programme recording 4,316 new graduates up to July 15, 2022.
The government, via the Higher Education Ministry, has also allocated RM100 million for the KPT-CAP career advancement programme to help unemployed graduates. KPT-CAP has managed to place 3,618 graduates under the programme up to July 15, 2022.
Tengku Zafrul also noted that the National Apprenticeship Scheme (SPN) under the Youth and Sports Ministry, with the cooperation of the Works Ministry and Human Resources Ministry, has been set up to help youths get jobs. "Up to July 15, 2022, 4,459 youths have been placed via the JaminKerja PERKESO Wage Incentive,” he said.
Under the CENDANA Recovery Initiative, the government allocated RM10 million, which benefited 3,000 people in the field of arts and culture. Up to July 15, 2022, there were 1,582 applicants for the initiative with RM7.50 million distributed to 590 applicants. - Bernama
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