THE government has surpassed its target of providing 500,000 jobs this year, said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, despite Covid-19 and the economic challenges facing the country.

With National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme’s successful implementation, the country’s economic growth is expected to improve next year, he added.

“When I took over (as prime minister), Covid-19 cases were on the rise. We had to take stern action to save lives though the economy was tumbling at that time.

“Due to the success of the vaccination drive, we started to open the economy… and the economy is growing.”

On price hikes, Ismail said it is beyond the control of the government, but efforts are ongoing to address the problem.

“We know that prices are rising and we are making efforts such as promotions (through the Malaysian Family Sales Programme) of up to 50% off.”

The government has also allocated RM100 million to the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry and RM62 million in fertiliser subsidies as initiatives to overcome the problem of rising prices, he added.

“In a recent meeting that I chaired, we have agreed that traders should not increase cooking oil prices. (For this), we have provided an additional RM150 million subsidy allocation.” – Bernama, December 11, 2021.