Sharifah Hasidah (centre) launches the Sarawak Socso Employment Insurance System Job Carnival 2019. She is accompanied onstage by Azman (second right), Phillip (right), Amir (second left) and Mohd Sahar.
KUCHING: The Human Resource Ministry, including the Social Security Organisation (Socso), should revisit and review the various employment policies and strategies in the country, says Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said that taking such steps could help overcome the issue of unemployment among youths, specifically that of fresh graduates.
“There is the possibility that the issue of unemployment among youths are directly related to the salary of foreign workers, expatriates and international students who are permitted to work including those who carry out illegal and unregulated businesses.
“The issue of unemployment is a worrying trend, and it should be studied seriously by all relevant parties to identify the causes that need to be addressed and subsequently finding solutions,” Abang Johari said at the Sarawak Socso Employment Insurance System (EIS) Job Carnival 2019 at Mydin Petrajaya here yesterday.
The text of his speech was read by Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring) Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Ghazali.
Abang Johari added that the state government was very concerned with the difficulties and frustrations faced by youths and fresh graduates who were still unemployed and having to resort to other avenues to make a living, including gig-economy or non-standard employment with unpredictable income, long working hours and no Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for retirement.
“I am worried that if this issue is not handled holistically, it can impact the country’s socio-economic stability. Thus, various factors of unemployment should be analysed from various angles.
“Among the aspects to consider are micro data collection about job opportunities, including the creation of new positions, and the number of unemployed graduates; jobs missing from the job market due to a company’s closure and so on; the dumping of foreign workers, including those working illegally; effect on wages and salary; clear and transparent policies on the list of jobs that should be closed for foreigners and the failure of law-enforcement agencies in abolishing permits,” he said.
The chief minister also praised Socso’s various schemes such as the EIS, which helps workers who lose their jobs by repacement of income for a certain period while they job-hunt, the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) and initiatives such as their Public Employment Services.
“Their Public Employment Services include carrying out job carnivals, monitoring unemployment among youths, job searching and matching and helping employers fill empty positions with suitable candidates. Socso also gives skill training or vocational training to workers as well as conduct surveys of the labour market situation throughout the nation.
“As announced during Budget 2020, SKSPS will be expanded to 18 informal sectors next year which include small businesses, farmers, fishermen and those in arts. Currently, it is mandatory for taxi drivers, car rentals, e-hailing services and bus drivers under the Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017, and the state government welcomes the expansion of this scheme to other sectors so more self-employed people in the state will be protected,” he said.
Over 30 employers participated in the job carnival and there were as many as 4,000 job vacancies to be filled.
Also present were Socso CEO Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed, Socso Sarawak director Phillip Sangkan, Human Resource Ministry secretary-general Datuk Amir Omar and EIS chief Datuk Mohd Sahar Darusman.