Diploma holder among those seeking job at market

Posters on job vacancies, which are only open to Malaysians, have been put up all around Pasar Besar Jalan Othman.

JOBS are aplenty at Pasar Besar Jalan Othman, which has reopened.

The market has about 1,000 vacancies that are to be filled by Malaysians only.

M. Sivaraj, 22, has completed his diploma in automotive engineering and has not been able to get a job so far.

He was among those applying for a job at the Jalan Othman wet market.

”I have gone for numerous interviews but have not received any job offers, ” he said.

His mother M. Radha said RM49,000 was spent for his education and she was hoping her son could get a job.

”I am not keen for my son to work in the wet market but in this situation, we cannot afford to be picky.

”He needs to start work to enable him to repay the education loan he took, ” said Radha.

Jalan Othman Market Association vice-president N. Rajaratnam said they had received calls about the vacancies at the wet market and would follow up with the applicants soon.

Sivaraj (third from left) filling the application form at the market.

He added that there were no specific qualifications, as long as the applicant can converse in Bahasa Malaysia and their mother tongue.

Successful applicants will be paid between RM70 and RM80 a day with working hours from 2am to 11am, 3am to noon or 5am to 1pm.

Rajaratnam said most of the candidates who called up were men ranging from 18 to 50 years old.

He said that female applicants were also welcomed.

He clarified that an earlier message which circulated on social media claiming that candidates must have a minimum Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia qualification was written wrongly.

Malaysians are needed at the Old Town market to replace foreigners who can no longer work there.

When asked if the applicants would be tested for Covid-19 before being allowed to work, he said that it would be up to Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).

Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah hoped that all traders and visitors would work together to ensure the wet market was kept clean.

“We cannot just rely on MBPJ to maintain the market, as traders have to play their part too, ” she said.

Maria said that when the market was closed last month, MBPJ found several areas in bad shape and started upgrading works.

“This upgrading had been discussed many times and we never could do it but when it was shut down for two weeks, we took the opportunity to upgrade the market as well, ” she added.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran hoped that now that the market had reopened, applicants would come for interviews.