KUALA LUMPUR JULY 20: The employment situation in the country has changed positively since the implementation of the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) on June 10 where 12.7 million or 83.5% of workers have started work compared to 10.2 million or 67.2% on May 17.
Human Resources Minister, Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said, the positive situation is expected to retain the employment of workers, the creation of new jobs, and encourages the recruitment of more workers.
Saravanan said the employment situation in the second half of the year is expected to be stronger and stable due to the positive momentum after the implementation of RMCO when most of the economic sectors have resumed its operations.
Saravanan said, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) the rate of unemployment is expected to rise by 5.3% in May compared to 5% a month before.
“DOSM has estimated the rate of unemployment is within 3.5% till 5.5% this year and the sectors most affected are tourism, manufacturing, and services, self-employed including business and small entrepreneurs,” said Saravanan.
The Minister said that in answering a question raised by Member of Parliament (MP) for Port Dickson, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the questions and oral answers at the second meeting, third term of the 14th Parliament session here today.
Saravanan added the unemployment situation estimated by DOSM is realistic even though the COVID-19 pandemic in the country has improved much earlier through the imposition of a series of MCO and RMCO.
The Minister said that in answering Anwar’s concern of whether the data of unemployment due to COVID-19 is realistic.
Saravanan added the employment situation will be better towards the end of the year when the foreign workers will give way to local workers to be employed in projects like in the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
The Minister said that in his answer to the question raised by Pontian MP, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan of whether the priority is given to the local workers in big infrastructure projects like ECRL and others. –Malaysia World News
