Malaysian workers will get help for a bit longer during the pandemic situation. Recently, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said that the implementation of the wage subsidy programme will be extended for another three months with a more targeted approach.

According to Mr. Aziz, the programme will be allocated specifically for the tourism sector, which includes the retail sector, at a rate of RM600 per month for workers earning RM4,000 and below. He added that the limit of 200 employees per application would also be increased to 500 employees.

“A total of RM1.5bil is allocated for this purpose and is expected to help about 70,000 employers and 900,000 employees,” he said during the tabling of the Budget 2021 in parliament on Friday (Nov 6).

Mr. Aziz said that the wage subsidy programme for the past nine months had an allocation of more than RM15bil, the Star Online reports.

As of Oct 31, he said the government had channelled RM12.5bil to fund the wage subsidy programme which has helped 2.7 million workers and more than 330,000 employers.

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