THE government needs to collect more data on workers in the gig economy to boost policies for the sector, said Mustapa Mohamed.

The Special Parliamentary Select Committee on the Budget chairman added that accurate data will allow Putrajaya to effectively tackle the issue of unemployment.

“Under Budget 2020, there are policies to increase job opportunities. These will use up a lot of funds.

“Therefore, we must make the right investments. This is why the government must improve its data collection, so that we can have an accurate understanding of this new type of economy.

“If we continue to lack such data, we might not find the right solution to the problem of unemployment,” he told the Centre Stage: Budget 2020 Town Hall session in Subang Jaya today.

Mustapa, who is former international trade and industry minister, said the government has yet to fully understand the challenges of the gig economy, despite more Malaysians being employed in the sector.

At present, the sector is not regulated, leading to issues concerning monopolies and workers’ rights, among others.

Putrajaya, in Budget 2020 tabled yesterday, announced a RM6.5 billion special funding to create 350,000 jobs next year. – October 12, 2019.