PERKESO To Assess Employment Insurance Scheme Expansion To Gig Workers - Sim

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- The Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) has been instructed to study the feasibility of extending the Employment Insurance Scheme (EIS) to gig workers, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said.

“Currently, the EIS does not cover gig workers, but I have instructed PERKESO to study the feasibility of extending this scheme, or a similar one, to them,” he said when winding up the debate on the 2026 Supply (Budget) Bill at the policy stage for the Human Resources Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.

EIS is a social security scheme under PERKESO, introduced to assist workers who have lost their jobs.

Meanwhile, Sim said a total of 846,907 people have contributed to PERKESO’s Self-Employed Social Security Scheme (Lindung Kendiri), with 290,122 involved in e-hailing and p-hailing between January and October.

The scheme was established to provide protection for self-employed individuals in accordance with the Self-Employment Social Security Act 2017.

Sim said the government is committed to implementing comprehensive labour market reforms to ensure Malaysia’s workforce remains protected while receiving balanced and competitive training opportunities.

-- BERNAMA