KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Socso) will now also protect and include the approximately 145,000 delivery riders across the country.

       According to a statement issued by Socso, Grab Malaysia and Food Panda had recently registered its riders under the SPS Lindung scheme.

       “I hope the other delivery service platforms can emulate Grab Malaysia and Food Panda in this respect to further support the government’s efforts by ensuring that their delivery riders are registered, contributing and protected,” Socso’s chief executive Datuk Seri Mohammed Azman Mohammed (pic below) said.

       Socso Mohammed Azman

       “Their commitment to provide such social protections to the delivery riders will hopefully encourage other players to do so,” he added.The government, through the SPS Lindung program provides assistance through the Self Employment Social Security Scheme that would entail a contribution of RM232.80 for a year of protection.

       Socso said that this move takes into consideration changes seen in the labour market following the Covid-19 pandemic which had seen a rise in the gig-economy.

       It noted that expanding the scheme to also include the delivery riders is an important move given the risks they have to bear when using the roads/ highways.

       This step is also in line with the government’s aim that workers in informal employment is not left out from the Social Security Scheme and are treated the same as workers who are under formal employment.

       Socso said its statistics revealed that there are 64,773 active contributors that are registered as delivery riders under the Self Employment Social Security Scheme.

       This number is part of the 39% of the total or 166,189 contributors that are categorised as self-employed active and contributing individuals under Socso, it said.

       However, Socso noted that this figure is small or only 6.1% of the 2.72 million self-employed individuals that have been recorded by the Statistics Department.