Recruitment Opportunity

Excerpt from The Star 17th April, 2009

Minister: 31,161 workers out of jobs so far

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 31,161 workers have been retrenched or laid off through voluntary separation schemes (VSS) between Oct 1 and April 15 this year, says the Human Resource Ministry.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said 16,288 local and 7,164 foreign workers had been retrenched during the period while 6,921 local and 788 foreign workers had been laid off through VSS.

“The retrenchment was anticipated across all occupational categories including managerial, professional, technician, clerical, machine operators and plant assemblers during the economic crisis,” he said.

Subramaniam said this in his speech delivered by his deputy Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan at the MIM CEO Forum 2009 and MIM-Public Bank Manager of the Year 2008 award presentation ceremony.

Meanwhile, 300,000 foreign workers’ contracts had ended in the last six months and their permits were not renewed by the ministry, he added.

Subramaniam said the ministry had initiated three training programmes for employers and workers – Train and Place; Train and Replace; as well as Train and Retain.

“The Labour Department is actively validating job vacancies and facilitating job matching and placement for retrenched workers,” he said.

He said the ministry had also set up 80 operation rooms nationwide to monitor the retrenchment trend daily and to assist retrenched workers by conducting a job placement drive.

“The ministry, under the stimulus economic package, has been allocated RM650mil to implement various programmes to help stimulate the economy, improve Government delivery system and prepare Malaysian workforce with the necessary skills,” he said.