PUTRAJAYA should consider creating more civil service jobs in the public health and education sectors to deal with rising unemployment that is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pakatan Harapan secretariat council said.

It would be a bold and aggressive move for the government to deal with the economic recession following the virus outbreak, the secretariat said in a statement today.

“Beyond cash transfers and other social assistance necessary in the short term, the availability of quality jobs is crucial in building a firm base for economic recovery and maintaining the living standards of all Malaysians. 

“As jobs in the private sectors are being destroyed during this recession, PH believes the government must play a greater role in creating new jobs, particularly in the public sector. 

“We propose to greatly expand both the public health and public education systems within the next two years,” said the statement signed by Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin of PKR, Dr Hatta Ramli (Amanah) and Liew Hin Tong (DAP).

The creation of jobs in these public sectors is important at a time when the private sector is laying off workers, the council said, and would help the nurses, doctors, teachers, lab administrators, teaching assistants, lecturers and researchers, among others.

The council said it believed that Putrajaya was understating the true unemployment figures.

It noted that while the unemployment rate growth from 3.2% in January to 5% in April was the worst in a decade, the figure could rise as more companies in the private sector lay off workers in the months to come.

PH said only about 800,000 people were counted in the April unemployment rate while some 4.9 million people did not factor in the calculations as they were deemed to have jobs, a situation that could not be guaranteed in the near future.

“Even if only 10% of this class of workers were to have had lost their jobs, then the unemployment rate would easily be double the April 2020 figure,” it said.

Another group of people not included in the count are some 161,000 workers who have left the labour force and but have been unable to find another job.

“Many of them could be described as discouraged workers. In other words, they have given up looking for jobs.”

PH said the government should expand the Malaysia@Work programme it launched when it was in power, as that would create 350,000 new jobs within five years for Malaysians.

“Covid-19 is redefining the role of the government. The new normal will demand that the government pivots and be bolder in trying out new approaches as well as ideas previously thought unworkable. 

“The government needs to do whatever it takes to save and create jobs to protect the livelihoods of all Malaysians during these difficult times.”

It is far more important that the government takes decisive action to solve this problem than to speculate over a snap election, PH said. – June 26, 2020.