PETALING JAYA: Saying its main concern is high fines for failing to report job vacancies under a new government requirement, the SME Association of Malaysia disclosed that discussions are ongoing with PERKESO on the issue.
Its president Chin Chee Seong said PERKESO is believed to be finalising the details.
“We have yet to know if there are categories which may be exempted.
“As of now, we have been assured that the reporting would be simple and there is yet to be a penalty imposed,” he added.
Chin said most SMEs did not understand the purpose of reporting job vacancies, adding that SMEs should be educated on the need for it.
Malay Traders and Entrepreneurs Association of Malaysia (Perdasama) urged PERKESO to consider exempting SMEs from the new requirement under the EIS Act.
Its president Mohd Azamanizam Baharon said as an organisation representing more than 27,000 bumiputra micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) nationwide, the mandatory reporting requirement would add an administrative burden to many small entrepreneurs who lacked human resource capacity.
“An exemption will improve operational efficiency, expedite hiring processes and allow SMEs to focus on business growth,” he said.
Applauding the stakeholder engagement by PERKESO, he said this consultation-based approach reflected on-the-ground realities and provided optimal benefits to workers and bosses.
“Clear implementation guidelines must be provided to ensure all SME categories understand the conditions, voluntary reporting mechanisms and their connection to access hiring incentives and job-matching services through government platforms,” said Mohd Azamanizam.
Industries Unite Malaysia group coordinator Datuk Irwin Cheong said the two-year moratorium would ease the burden on SMEs.
“As the job market is frequently fluctuating and with employee attrition rate being high, this will ease the tension of reporting whenever there are changes in companies and businesses,” he said.
