THE government has channelled RM20.941 billion to 357,948 employers through the Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP) which was set up to prevent 2.96 million Malaysians from losing their jobs.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said 322,177 employers and 2.64 million workers have received WSP benefits under the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus package and the national economic recovery plan.

“Approved wage subsidy applications have already reached RM12.95 billion,” he said in the People’s Financial Report released today.

As for WSP 2.0, a total of RM1.408 billion had been channelled to 81,165 employers to stay in business and allow 719,294 workers to stay employed.

Over the same period, a total of RM3.776 billion was channelled to 162,319 employers to maintain the employment for 1.53 million workers under WSP 3.0.  

Additionally, under WSP 4.0, 164,004 employers received RM2.579 billion to retain 1.92 million workers.

The minister added that RM219.65 million was channeled to 8,018 employers to maintain the employment of 123,759 workers under WSP 5.0 during the period.

Meanwhile, RM21.902 million worth of cash vouchers had been distributed to 6,799 final-year students and graduates under the Higher Education Ministry’s KPT-PACE programme.

Tengku Zafrul said 40,095 people were successfully placed in the public sector and government-linked companies (GLCs) through the Malaysia Short-term Employment (MySTEP) initiative programme.

Of the total, 20,773 participants were placed in the public sector while 119,322 personnel were placed in GLCs as well as other strategic partners, he said.

The minister also invited Malaysians to submit their suggestions for Budget 2023.

“The Ministry of Finance has launched the 2023 Budget Proposal Portal to increase the government’s openness on the involvement of all citizens in the annual budget preparation process that is more transparent and reflects the needs of Malaysians.

“They can submit their proposals online,” he said. – Bernama, August 26, 2022.