Minister: Wage Subsidy Programme to cushion impact of Covid-19 outbreak for 3.3 million private sector workers

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — The Human Resources Ministry, through the Social Security Organisation (Socso), said today that the Wage Subsidy Programme is expected to benefit 3.3 million private sector workers whose employers are affected by the economic impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia.

This initiative was announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as part of his RM250 billion stimulus yesterday.

It is also an extension of the Employment Retention Programme (ERP) that was announced by Muhyiddin in the Economic Stimulus Package 2020 on March 16.

In a statement, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said that a total of RM5.9 billion has been allocated to his ministry through Socso’s Employment Insurance System (EIS) for the initiative.

“Under this new initiative, employers experiencing a fall in income of more than 50 per cent since January 1, 2020 can claim from Socso,” he said.

“For a period of three months, employers can claim RM600 per worker.

“This is applicable for workers with monthly salaries of RM4,000 and below, who have registered and are contributing to EIS.”

Saravanan added that payment of the subsidy will be credited directly into the employer’s account within seven days of application and approval via www.perkeso.gov.my starting April 1.

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