He said it was better to take the opportunity to improve the family economy through various initiatives provided by the government.
Ismail said the government, through the human resources ministry, always took steps to ensure the welfare of workers and employers, particularly in the new economy, such as the gig economy.
For example, he said that in 2020, only a handful of gig workers were protected.
Currently, more than 260,000 self-employed are protected by Socso, with the government assisting in their contributions.
“The 12th Malaysia Plan also focuses specifically on the expansion of the gig economy as one of the new dimensions of the economy which needs attention.
“Under the Employment Insurance System offered by Socso, a total of 188,526 families have received financial benefits amounting to RM1 billion to help continue with their daily lives.”
Ismail said that HRD Corp’s Penjana programme had successfully provided retraining to nearly 100,000 Malaysians from various backgrounds, with an allocation of RM500 million from 2020 to 2021.
In addition, Ismail said that the positive impact of the JaminKerja Employment Incentive programme, implemented by Socso, would also be continued in the 2023 budget.
“Based on Socso’s statistics up to Oct 28, the total number of JaminKerja applications received was 65,774, with the involvement of 8,513 employers.
“A recent study on public perception towards the government and the Keluarga Malaysia policy conducted by Ilham Centre found that 82.5% of the people want the JaminKerja programme to continue,” he said.
Ismail was here to officiate the Anak Muda Gegor Bera Carnival at the Bera Convention Hall today.
He said the carnival could be turned into an annual event and become a platform for the youth, especially in Bera, to explore job opportunities and improve their socio-economic standard.
The carnival, which also involves esports events, is also in line with the government’s commitment to develop the sport, which has been allocated RM13 million in the 2023 budget.
The one-day carnival offers a variety of activities specifically for young people, such as esports competitions through Santai Esports and the JaminKerja programme that offers more than 1,500 job opportunities.