KUALA LUMPUR: By disbursing almost RM21bil in funds, millions of workers were bailed out of financial difficulty by PERKESO (Social Security Organisation) at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was revealed.
Its group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said besides ensuring that 2.96 million workers kept their jobs, 357,000 businesses were also saved from going bust.
“I vividly remember the disruption brought to many industries during the pandemic, and these achievements remind us that collaboration and innovation are vital to sustaining industries and safeguarding livelihoods.
“We learnt a lot from the pandemic,” he said after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PERKESO and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) here yesterday.
The strategic partnership between PERKESO and Mavcom is to safeguard the welfare of aviation workers and ensure its bosses comply with laws of the Employees’ Social Security Act.
Mohammed Azman said PERKESO assisted more than 800 aviation workers from losing their jobs by granting over RM13mil through the Wage Subsidy Programme.
“Our collaboration with Mavcom will also tackle current challenges by prioritising the placement of skilled local workers in critical roles. This will effectively reduce our dependency on foreign labour while maintaining high industry standards,” he added.
He said a highlight of the strategic alliance would be the National Career Exploration Centre (NPCEC) with three distinct components – a physical centre providing direct support services, an innovative NPCEC Metaverse platform for digital career exploration, and a Metaverse Career Carnival facilitating virtual networking between job seekers and bosses.
Mohammed Azman said NPCEC will serve as a hub for employment assistance, offering valuable labour market insights and transitional guidance for students and graduates embarking on careers in the aviation sector.
Mavcom executive chairman Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim described the partnership as an important step towards strengthening compliance in the aviation industry and expediting action against aviation service providers who default on statutory payments to PERKESO.
