M Kula Segaran (PH-Ipoh Barat) said since only over 50,000 eligible individuals were identified for the hiring incentive, the target set during Budget 2022 of helping 300,000 jobless individuals seeking employment has not been met.

“The country is facing a complicated unemployment problem, so how is it that only 1.23% of the budget allocated has been utilised?” he asked in the Dewan Rakyat while debating amendments to the Employees Social Securities Act 1969.

Kula, of DAP, alleged that the funds may have been misused and urged the human resource ministry and the government to conduct a forensic investigation on the matter.

He was commenting on the statistics provided by human resources minister M Saravanan in a written parliamentary reply to Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) last Tuesday.

Saravanan had said that as of July 1, the ministry had received 50,594 applications from 7,650 employers for the hiring incentive. He described the programme as having a “positive impact”.

Under the JaminKerja initiative, employers who hire Malaysians who have not been actively employed are entitled to an incentive of 20% of the monthly salary for the first six months, and 30% for the next six months, subject to jobs with a salary of RM1,500 and above.