PETALING JAYA: Continuous effort will be made to assist workers affected by the global crisis, says Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir (pic).
He said the government would ensure that initiatives such as the Employment Insurance System under the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) function efficiently to assist those who have lost their jobs.
He said 7,057 workers had lost their jobs in April due to the global crisis, which is an increase from March (5,855 workers).
“The figures were lower compared to the start of the year, with 10,658 workers losing their jobs in January and 2,260 in February. However, the ministry will continue to give attention to the matter.”
Akmal Nasrullah added that national oil company PETRONAS had told the National Economic Council Meeting (MTEN) that the country’s oil supply will be sufficient until July.
He said the assurance was given despite Brent crude oil prices continuing to increase amid global geopolitical uncertainty, citing that its average price reached US$111.67 (RM441.70) per barrel for the period of May 18-22, up 1.7% compared to US$109.85 (RM434.80) per barrel in the previous week.
As for the aviation industry, the minister said daily aircraft movements in April fell by 31.5%, following cancellations involving Middle East routes and rationalisation of operations by airlines.
Akmal Nasrullah, at the Global Supply Crisis briefing, said the government will continue to strengthen enforcement efforts to ensure the prices of essential goods remain under control amid public concerns over the rising cost of living and food supply issues.
He said that domestic food prices from May 18 to 21 remain within a controlled range, recording movements within the range of -2% to +3.6%.
“The average price of chicken is RM9.57 per kilo, while beef fell 2% to RM38.45 per kilo. The price of mustard greens (sawi) rose 3.6% to RM7.08 per kilo.”
He said that despite price increases for certain goods, there were still areas and business premises offering lower prices.
Akmal also encouraged the use of the PriceCatcher app. Information about the app is available on the ministry dashboard.
