KOTA KINABALU: The state government’s initiative through the Social Security Organisation (Socso) has helped 4,864 locals gain employment in the first nine months of this year.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic) said last year, 7,141 Sabahans had also succeeded in returning to the workforce based on Sabah Socso's 2020 statistics.
"It is evident that the government initiative through Socso under the Pemulih programme, has generated a positive impact, as well as helped reduce the unemployment rate among people.
"This is a good step towards the country's recovery process and in reviving the nation's economy," he said when launching the state-level urban poor career carnival 2021 in Tuaran on Sunday (Oct 24).
The event was the first such carnival, which is planned to be rolled out in stages to other districts in Sabah.
Hajiji said the government was prepared to face retrenchments and job losses when the nation started facing the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government has taken proactive steps without waiting for the situation to become dire.
"Since the pandemic started in March last year until this September, Sabah Socso had successfully organised 307 interviews, where 267 were done virtually and 40 done physically, with the cooperation of various industries and employers," he added.
At the same time to ease the online interview process, Sabah Sosco carried out a strategic cooperation with Rural Internet Centres to ensure sufficient Internet coverage for job seekers in the rural areas, said Hajiji.
In line with the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya development plan, Sosco has also collaborated with the state government in handling labour and manpower related matters.
On the carnival, Hajiji said there are over 1,000 vacancies waiting to be filled, where 15 employer companies have also participated in the interview process.
He said the initiative is to help the B40 group in urban areas to find jobs, as well as placements for school leavers and fresh graduates.
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