Some 8.5 million workers, or 87.6 per cent, have chosen to remain covered under PERKESO’s 24-Hour Protection Scheme (LINDUNG 24 Jam), despite being given the option to opt out.
Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said the figure reflected the majority of workers’ awareness of the importance of having social protection beyond working hours.
He said only 12.4 per cent of workers had opted out, indicating that most recognised the need for protection against accidents outside working hours.
“A formal sector worker in Malaysia spends only about 33 per cent of the year working, including travel time to and from work.
“This means that for the remaining 67 per cent, or about 244 days a year, they would not be protected if an accident occurred outside working hours, even though they remain workers with responsibilities towards themselves and their families,” he said at a press conference at Menara PERKESO on Wednesday.
Introduced on June 1, 2026, LINDUNG 24 Jam extends protection to workers who suffer accidents unrelated to their employment, including incidents occurring outside working hours.
Mohammed Azman said the scheme had shown early effectiveness, with PERKESO receiving 6,330 claims during its first three months of implementation, from June 1 to Aug 31.
The figure translates to an average of about 69 cases a day, or three cases every hour, with total benefit payments reaching RM9.97 million.
The payments covered various benefits, including Temporary Disablement Benefit, Permanent Disablement Benefit, reimbursement of medical expenses, Funeral Management Benefit, Dependants’ Benefit, as well as rehabilitation equipment and implants.
Mohammed Azman stressed that social protection should follow workers, rather than workers having to adapt to the limitations of the protection provided.
He said protection would not be truly comprehensive if it was restricted to the workplace and working hours.
He also revealed that some workers who had opted out of LINDUNG 24 Jam later submitted benefit claims after suffering accidents outside working hours.
“This development proves that the risk of accidents outside working hours is not merely a possibility, but has already resulted in thousands of workers requiring social protection support within the short period since LINDUNG 24 Jam was introduced,” he said.
