KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — The government’s plan to create 50,000 jobs next year in the public sector and in government-linked companies (GLCs) will not alleviate the expected high unemployment among Malaysians, a DAP MP suggested today.

Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim, a former deputy youth and sports minister, said there was also a lack of details about the Short-term Employment Programme (MyStep) when it was announced in Budget 2021.

“It’s a good idea, but what is the government’s route map towards its implementation? How long the wait before the 50,000 jobs in the public sector and GLCs are successfully created and what is the pay that will be offered?

“If looking at the RM700 million allocation, on average, those 50,000 jobs will only pay a salary of around RM1,160 per month for one year.

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“With unemployment to breach one million individuals and the possibility of public servants especially contract workers potentially being retrenched, the absorption of 50,000 persons into the public sector and GLCs will not be able to bring about a big impact, even if it were to be successfully implemented,” he said while debating the government’s proposed Budget 2021 in the Dewan Rakyat.

“Don’t make announcements that look beautiful but do not bring benefits to the public,” he added.

On November 6, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz had in his Budget 2021 speech said the government will allocate more than RM700 million for the MyStep programme with the 50,000 jobs to be offered on a contract basis, namely 35,000 jobs in the public sector with a priority for jobs such as nurses, medical attendants, social welfare officers and temporary teachers, while GLCs are to offer 15,000 jobs with a priority in technical and financial fields and giving opportunities for fresh graduates to join in apprenticeship programmes.

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In the latest statistics released by the Department of Statistics of Malaysia earlier this month, the unemployment rate in Malaysia in September was 4.6 per cent, while 737,500 persons were unemployed during the same month. Various predictions had previously been reported in the news that unemployment this year could shoot up to one million individuals in 2020. Unemployment figures have however seen improvements since this year’s peak of 826,100 unemployed persons in May.

 

 

In his same speech in the Dewan Rakyat today, Sim had highlighted that the federal government had cut the budget allocation in 2021 for emoluments or pay for civil servants in at least nine ministries, which he said could point to potential retrenchments of civil servants in the future.

One of the examples raised by Sim was a cut in almost RM124 million for the allocation for emoluments for the police, which he pointed out was working hard on the frontlines.

Sim argued that the government should not take advantage of the current crisis amid Covid-19 to fire civil servants or to freeze their employment benefits.

Voicing concern that the cut in budget allocation for civil servants’ emoluments was a sign that the civil service would either be downsized or be denied benefits, Sim went on to recommend the government against firing civil servants or reducing their rights amid a weak job market.

Sim instead proposed that the federal government emulate the Penang state government which had with limited resources managed to create 1,000 positions for digital coaches to go down to the community to encourage and guide the community in embracing digitalisation.

With the new normal requiring additional staff such as to ensure social distancing and compliance with standard operating procedures in public spaces, Sim said the federal government could take the opportunity to work with state governments to help create either temporary or permanent jobs to help those who have lost their jobs.

“Therefore, I propose the government allocate RM100 million to each state government as a special operating fund for Covid-19. This is to enable each state to tackle the unique problems related to Covid-19 in their respective areas in a more effective manner,” he said.