BUDGET 2022 & MYFutureJobs

SOCSO’s (PERKESO) Gayathri Vadivel, Head of Employment Services Department, Employment Insurance Office, and Andreas Charles Akobiarek, Head of Strategic Initiatives and MyFutureJobs, shared about the budget initiatives under JaminKerja hiring incentives, MyFutureJobs as well as SOCSO’s employment services through digital transformation.

SOCSO has been actively involved in providing compensation for those affected by employment injuries, and invalidity since the Act was gazetted in 1969. In 2017, SOCSO introduced the employment insurance system targeted at assisting retrenched workers to receive compensation such as cash benefits, apart from training incentives, among others.

This was purposed to assist them to find employment. Gayathri explained about SOCSO’s initiatives over the years aimed at benefiting employees across all industries in Malaysia. At SOCSO, employment services is aimed at assisting those actively seeking jobs, and the Employment Insurance Scheme (EIS) has enabled SOCSO to play a crucial role during the pandemic by providing allowances to retrenched workers. To-date, SOCSO has assisted more than 2.7million workers through cash incentives to employers in order to retain staff.

Hiring incentives was introduced in June 2020 to drive the recovery phase of the pandemic and to empower businesses by reducing operating costs while stimulating job creation and the economy as well as assisting unemployed individuals to return to work.

Gayathri shared that under the Employment Services framework, SOCSO provides job brokerage and job portal; active labour market programmes; technical and vocational education and training; labour market information and analytics; and, prevention of unemployment.

Jaminkerja

JaminKerja was introduced in 2020, under SOCSO’s hiring incentives, to get more employers to recruit workers and subsequently revive the labour force. Since its introduction, more than 485,000 job placements have been made. Gayathri highlighted the evolution of SOCSO’s incentives from Pemulih to the improved and more inclusive JaminKerja programme. With an allocation of RM4.8billion, this initiative is seeking to create 600,000 job opportunities. Employers from all industrial categories that are registered with SOCSCO before January 2022 are eligible for this programme. Applications are open from 17 January to 30 June 2022 and can be made through https://jaminkerja.perkeso.gov.my.

Myfuturejobs

According to Gayathri, MyFutureJobs is a state-of-the-art job portal that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital technology to match candidates with suitable choices of occupation. Andreas advised that the portal features modules that include caseworker management, jobseeker module and employer module. Caseworker management portal allows case workers to manage information and acts as a proxy for employers and jobseekers assigned to them. The jobseeker module is a candidate portal that helps job seekers to get personalised advice on available jobs, apply for jobs, and manage interview appointments. Meanwhile, the employer module enables employers to add, view and edit vacancies available in their company, with access to suitably matched candidates that have applied for the vacancies.

Data is collected by the system on a daily basis in order to drive improvements and formulate better programmes to help jobseekers. Andreas added that MyFutureJobs has a more holistic approach to matching candidates with the right jobs. Compared to traditional occupation-based matching, MyFutureJobs undertakes skills and competencies-based job matching, to achieve more accurate results.

To reach out to jobseekers and employers, SOCSO is collaborating with partners such as Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar, MCMC, and universities throughout Malaysia to establish 45 MyFutureJobs Satellite Centres throughout Malaysia, to create an access point where jobseekers can come to MyFutureJobs so that they can receive the necessary assistance to secure jobs. Andreas also demonstrated the MyFutureJobs portal to help employers attending the webinar understand better how to use the portal.

Through this portal, employers can select candidates, call for interviews and set the hiring process in motion easily. The portal also offers employers and employees a wide selection of candidates and organisations to explore. Interviews can be conducted at the Satellite Centres for the convenience of both employers and candidates.