Anwar: New scheme to protect employees even outside workplace and office hours

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Malaysia will soon introduce round-the-clock protection for workers, covering injuries sustained even outside of office hours, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced today.

Anwar said the government will introduce the Non-Employment Injury Scheme to strengthen Malaysia’s legal framework and enhance protection for all workers, including those in remote or flexible arrangements.

“This stems from a realisation that the pressures of work do not stop at the factory gate or the office door. 

“In an age of flexible and remote arrangements, this reform will align protection with the realities of how people live and work today,” he said in his opening speech at the World Social Security Forum 2025 here today.

He stressed the scheme would extend coverage at all times, recognising that “accidents and injuries do not keep a timetable.”

The announcement aligns with previous statements by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, who said in February that his ministry was aiming to introduce laws for a Non-Occupational Accident Scheme (SKBBK) this year to provide protection for employees involved in accidents outside of working hours.

In the same speech today, Anwar said Malaysia is expanding its social protection coverage to those who have long stood outside the safety net, such as informal workers, home-makers, and gig workers.

He said Malaysia is preparing for an ageing society, in which one in seven Malaysians by 2030 are projected to be above the age of 60.

He said older Malaysians have wisdom and skills, and that the country should enable their continued contribution so that ageing is regarded as a stage of dignity and opportunity.

He said Malaysia is also embedding digital systems to enable more effective delivery of protection, and to ensure that “no community, however remote, is left unseen”.

“Progress is ongoing, though far from perfect. But the conviction that guides us is clear: true prosperity is not measured by the size of our skyscrapers or GDP, but by the dignity of ordinary citizens, and by how they live their daily lives.”