Phillip Sangkan
KUCHING: Employees from the private sector who lose their jobs this year will be eligible for interim financial assistance of up to six months under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) Employment Insurance System (EIS).
Socso Sarawak director Phillip Sangkan said laid-off employees looking for a new job would also be provided assistance with job search, career counselling and job suitability under EIS.
“EIS is intended to act as a ‘safety net’ for retrenched employees and provide financial aid to those who lost their jobs until they secure new employment in the event of adverse economic conditions, which contribute to potential retrenchment or loss of employment,” he said at Socso’s EIS Talk at a hotel here yesterday. Both employers and employees will contribute 0.2 per cent each to EIS.
“The rate of EIS contribution in Malaysia is among the lowest with only 0.4 per cent as compared to Thailand (1.25 per cent), Vietnam (3 per cent) and South Korea (2.15 per cent),” he revealed, adding that Socso anticipated some 57,000 employees across the country to benefit from the system this year.
He said applications for EIS has since commenced, with Socso Sarawak receiving 76 applications from employers throughout the state so far.
“We received 41 applications from Kuching, 14 from Sibu, 15 from Kapit, two from Sibu and four from Bintulu.”
On the talk, Phillip said it was held in conjunction with the EIS roadshows being held nationwide.
“This is the second roadshow we have with employers as part of our efforts to disseminate as much information as possible on EIS in view that the awareness of this new system is quite low at the moment.”
After Kuching, he said the next roadshow in Sarawak would be held in Sibu on Feb 28 and Bintulu on March 8. Around 500 participants comprising managers, human resource practitioners, industry association and trade union leaders attended the talk which was conducted by Socso EIP Division administrative officer Mohd Arif Aziz and Socso Sarawak Return to Works case manager Abu Bakar Poli.
The talk covered aspects on EIS including EIS coverage and qualifying conditions, benefits, interim payment and employment services, operational procedures and implementation as well as addressing operational and implementation concerns in detail.
Meanwhile, Phillip reminded employers in the state to get themselves registered with Socso’s Automated Socso Integrated System (ASSIST) Portal, which would enable them to update their records of contributions and make contribution payments online.
“With effect from January this year, Socso does not accept Form 8A (Payment of Monthly Contribution Form) as a mode of payment because starting this year, every transaction of payment and updating of records must be done online. As such, it is mandatory for employers to get themselves registered on the ASSIST Portal,” he explained.
For employers who have yet to be registered, he urged them to do so as soon as possible at any Socso office throughout the state.
“Our officers will assist them with the registration and they will be provided with a temporary password which they can use to log on to the portal.”