NATIONAL Employment Council (NEC), will strive to create 500,000 jobs because the number of those unemployed this year had increased to 700,000 or 5.6% compared to only 3% the previous year.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this was paramount as the number of those unemployed had risen.
“Many of those running businesses had to close shop after suffering losses. Due to this, some also had to lay off workers or stop hiring new ones.
“And this is why the government set up an employment council, which I am chairing, with the aim of ensuring the country’s economy continues to be more organised and to find ways to help the people, who are now mostly unemployed and have no income,” he pointed out.
Although he was aware that the target could be quite difficult to achieve, Muhyiddin pointed out that the government had outlined various proactive measures, including offering tax incentives to attract foreign investors.
“It is now rather difficult to find investors even though Malaysia, prior to this, had been the country of choice because we have good infrastructure, a large workforce, highways, industrial sites and proper utilities.
“So, if we do not work hard now and take bold steps to offer more incentives, they will not invest here because the whole world at this time is also sourcing for investments.”
At the same time, he urged the Human Resources Ministry and other relevant ministries to utilise the RM2 bil fund provided by the government to train more young people, especially to improve their skills.
Muhyiddin said many graduates and school leavers had failed to land jobs, but expressed confidence that with the new skills acquired, they stood a better chance of securing employment.
Although there are parties who were not agreeable to this, he said the decision was taken after careful and detailed study.
“The economy is not fully recovered, not many customers at the road stalls, shopping complexes are empty, many hotels shut operations due to lack of guests.
“That is why I decided recently to give some leeway and allow Kuala Lumpur folks to visit Desaru in Johor and those in Johor to travel to the East Coast.” – Dec 13, 2020
