Jobs for vulnerable groups | The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: There will be 55,000 job opportunities for those in the vulnerable groups through the extension of the JaminKerja-Wage Incentive (JKIP) job placement initiative, according to the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

Its chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said that from the existing RM2bil JKIP programme allocation, RM475mil would be channelled as an incentive for employers.

“The continuation of this programme will focus on recruitment efforts from the tourism sector, replacement of foreign workers (Malaysianisation programme), persons with disabilities (OKU), women and workers who lost their jobs.

“We are confident about fulfilling the government’s mandate to provide 55,000 job opportunities,” he told reporters here yesterday.

The JKIP has been extended until Dec 31 and throughout the extension, application conditions and incentive rates for employers as well as mobility assistance for hired workers remain the same.

Mohammed Azman also said that the JaminKerja Keluarga Malaysia Career Expo 2022, which ended on July 27, saw some 14,000 visitors – most were job seekers who were school leavers, graduates, the unemployed and those who want better opportunities or new careers.

Better opportunities: Mohammed Azman (centre) with Socso’s Office Employment Insu­rance System head Azirruan Arifin and Job Placement and Employment Support head Gayathiri Vadivel at the press conference at Menara Perkeso. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

Throughout the expo, a total of 1,712 job seekers obtained jobs while 10,698 also made the second interview stage, he added.

As of July 22, via Myfuturejobs and its various programmes, a total of 115,483 people were hired, which is a reflection of their success, Mohammed Azman said.

From the total placement recorded under Socso, 52,907 people have secured jobs through the JKIP.

These include 9,085 (apprentice programme), 6,909 (vulnerable groups), 6,745 (Malaysianisation), 25,664 (general worker), 3,568 (women) and 936 (tourism sector).

When asked about the job mismatch issue, he said that Sosco’s role was to assist job seekers, especially school leavers and those in the vulnerable groups, through their portal.

“We are working with relevant stakeholders and sharing information, but this is an ongoing issue that cannot be resolved overnight.

“We are aware that a lot of the job opportunities offered do not require higher qualifications; a lot of it require lower qualifications like school leavers, so this is where there is the mismatch,” he said, adding that employers needed to offer more competitive salaries as well.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the extension of the JKIP, which was supposed to end on June 30, at the expo.