The government is stepping up efforts to improve Malaysia’s job market following reports that 7,057 workers lost their jobs in April, a sharp increase compared to the previous month.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the matter was discussed during the National Economic Action Council meeting, with several urgent measures now being planned to provide alternative employment opportunities, especially for young Malaysians.
According to him, new job openings are expected to focus on key economic zones including Perak, Penang, Kulim Hi-Tech, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Johor, where fresh investments are beginning to create demand for workers.
Anwar revealed that the government is also preparing special training programmes to help affected workers transition into modern industries such as information technology and artificial intelligence (AI), sectors currently seeing rapid growth worldwide.
“In the next one or two weeks, we will take steps to improve the situation and provide alternative jobs. There are already new employment opportunities available, and we need to ensure there is proper coordination with incoming investments,” he said when commenting on the rise in job losses last month.
He added that new investments entering Sarawak are also expected to generate additional employment opportunities in the near future, giving hope to those currently affected by the uncertain job market.
While the situation is not considered alarming at this stage, Anwar acknowledged that every job loss carries a huge impact on families struggling to cope with rising living costs and financial commitments.
Earlier, Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd. Nasir reportedly said that the number of workers losing jobs in April rose by 21 per cent compared to 5,855 cases recorded in March.
However, he pointed out that the figure remains lower than the 10,658 cases reported in January and 7,512 cases recorded in February this year.
