13.7 million workers vulnerable

All smiles: Dr Wan Azizah with (from left) ISSA secretary general Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, ISSA president Dr Joachim Bruer, Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran and Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Amir Omar at the launch of the Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific of the ISSA in Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: About 13.7 million Malaysians  are still not covered by any form of social security protection, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the figure was alarming and the situation needed to be addressed.

According to the January 2018 data of the Statistics Department, the country has 15.19 million workers.

Dr Wan Azizah who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said the government was committed to extending the coverage of social security in the country.

“This is to ensure that Malaysians from all walks of life are covered by a sustainable and affordable social security system,” Bernama quoted her as saying at the opening of the Regional Social Security Forum for Asia and the Pacific of the Interna­tional Social Security Association (ISSA) here yesterday.

Acknowledging the creation of new types of work brought about by Industrial Revolution 4.0, she told the Social Security Organisation to extend the Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017 to all platform of workers of the new economy.

“These new types of work, which are breaking away from the traditional work models, are leaving the workers uncovered by any form of social security programme,” she added.

Dr Wan Azizah said workers in the informal sector should not be forgotten too, as well as other vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, older persons, housewives, children and other layers of society.

“To address this, we need to establish an integrated social security system where all social partners are able to share their data to ensure that the right benefits reach the right persons.

“This way, all social partners in the country will be able to operate more efficiently in delivering social protection to the people,” she said.

Dr Wan Azizah also called on social security administrations to use innovative approaches to sustain benefits and further extend coverage to enhance the quality of the social security services.

She said social security practitioners must start moving from “payer” to “player” to ensure that social security benefits were designed to include giving back to society.

The three-day forum, with the theme Excellence in Social Security: Enhancing Protection for Tomor­row’s Society, is being attended by 400 participants from 42 countries in the Asia Pacific region.