The Malaysian Insight

SEVERAL DAP assemblymen have found themselves taking on the task of job-matching for their constituents who lost their jobs because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight months into the pandemic, assemblymen in Johor and Selangor told The Malaysian Insight they have developed various ways to assist unemployed constituents, either through job-matching, referrals, charity programmes or new enterprises.

Stulang assemblyman Chen Kah Eng said his service centre has seen the jobless requesting help since April.

“To date, my centre has seen more than 100 people. They are of all ages, from 20 to 60.

“They include Vietnamese workers who used to hold daily paid jobs. They are waiting to cross the border to return to Singapore for work, and only want short-term work here,” said Chen.

He is in contact with small and medium enterprises in his constituency and finds that some are still recruiting despite the downturn.

“If the job-seeker, however, is only thinking about the day he or she can go back to Singapore and only wants short-term work, then this becomes an obstacle in job-matching. Employers prefer to look for employees who are stable,” Chen said.

A worker in Singapore can earn about RM8,000 to RM9,000 after currency conversion but jobs with local employers now are offering only RM2,000.

Chen added that it is also difficult for local employers, who previously could hire foreign workers for RM2,000, but now have to increase wages in order to attract locals.

The temporary jobs he has sourced for some constituents are as waiters, cleaners and confinement centre helpers.

“The pandemic will continue to have a serious impact on businesses and we can expect manpower and salary cuts to continue.

“Everyone should improve their competitive edge and skills, or it will be very difficult to survive.”

Fellow Johor lawmaker, Chew Chong Sin, has conducted unemployment surveys in his constituency, targeting low- and middle-income families and the unemployed who were previously pasar malam hawkers, and long-distance or school bus drivers.

The Mengkibol assemblyman said information from the surveys is used in job-matching with factories in the area, and for other work, such as gardening and painting.

Chew said he prefers to “teach people to fish” and does this by promoting small-scale enterprises that include growing fruits and vegetables, as well as technical and vocational education to younger people.

His  office is also working on developing an apprenticeship and employment programme targeting youth above the age of 18.

“It will teach skills such as learning to work in a cafe and making a cup of coffee.”

As of October 22, the Social Security Organisation (Socso) reported 89,596 cases of unemployment, an average of nearly 10,000 per month since the beginning of this year.

Socso chief executive officer Mohd Azman Aziz Mohammed said the cumulative figure was an increase of 278% compared with 2019.

The manufacturing sector has suffered the most. On Wednesday, Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan said 21,782 were retrenched from this sector since January.

In Selangor, Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim keeps tabs on vacancies and informs his constituents of job openings.

“Selangor is the locomotive of the national economy. According to Mohd Khairuddin Othman, the Selangor exco for youth, sports and human capital development, there are still many vacancies in the manufacturing industry.

“I think that as long as you are not picky, you will have a job,” said Ng.

His seat covers the popular tourist spot of Sekinchan, where incomes from tourism have been badly hit because of movement restrictions.

For the most part, the speaker of the Selangor assembly has been focusing on distribution of welfare aid and daily necessities.

“The service centre gets the help of counsellors and village heads to assist people,” he said.

Teratai assemblyman Lai Wai Chong has been linking unemployed individuals with charity organisations and also giving advice on finding temporary jobs.

“Generally, most of them come to apply for welfare assistance. I also advise them to find temporary jobs instead of just waiting for aid.

“For example, markets have stopped hiring illegal foreign workers, so the hawkers and traders need help. If I personally am unemployed, I would try this.”

Lai also promotes community vegetable gardening in the constituency, urging people to take it up and to sell the harvest at markets.

“If you have land, you might as well try to grow vegetables. You only need to apply for a licence with the local government. If a family can depend on this (growing vegetables), they may have less problems.” – November 27, 2020.