KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — All 5,000 Petronas staff affected by a recent restructuring exercise have been compensated with separation packages and are receiving support through a structured transition programme, the government confirmed today.
In a written parliamentary reply to Jerai MP Sabri Azit, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said disclosed that the state oil firm has set up two panels for this matter.
“Petronas has established a Transition Council and a Human Capital Development Committee to ensure fair and organised redeployment of staff, in line with labour laws and industrial best practices,” she said.
She said the support programme includes career coaching, emotional support, skills training, financial planning, and job placement assistance, with cooperation from Socso, government-linked companies (GLCs), and Petronas’ own entrepreneurship initiatives.
Azalina added that the restructuring is part of Petronas’ transformation strategy to remain competitive amid the global energy transition and will not affect its contributions to government revenue or national development plans.
Last month, financial news agency Bloomberg reported that Petronas would cut about 10 per cent of its workforce as part of a major restructuring to reduce costs amid falling crude oil prices.
At the time, Petronas CEO Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik Aziz was also reported as saying that the company would implement a hiring and promotion freeze until the end of 2026.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had previously commented on the matter, noting that many of the affected staff were employed on a contract basis.
