KLANG: Being unemployed for almost two years now has been a big blow for 53-year-old M. Kalai.

       The mother of one, who used to work in a multinational company which deals with palm oil, has not been able to find a suitable job due to her age and scarcity of jobs in the industry.

       “I know it will be virtually impossible for me to find employment in the same sector and so I even took up a temporary job in a clinic recently for a fraction of what I used to be paid,” said Kalai, a Klang native.

       However, she now sees a silver lining on the horizon in Budget 2022 which offers incentives for employers to hire women who have not been working for more than a year.

       “I have skills and I am sure now that my salary will be subsidised by the government under the budget, employers will at least consider hiring me,” she added.

       Orang Asli elder Marin Mungai said he was happy with the budget which focused on jobs for his community.

       “It will be a good opportunity for our young people to seek jobs outside of our village and district,” said Marin, the chairman of the Bukit Bangkong Orang Asli village in Sepang.

       He said Orang Asli youths needed employment opportunities outside although many were employed in their respective villages or nearby towns.

       “It will provide them a chance to shape themselves with a brighter future,” he added.

       Malaysian Spinal Cord Injury Advocacy Association president Mohd Rizal Mat Noor said incentivising employers to hire the disabled was much needed under current circumstances.

       “Many disabled people lost their jobs as well as source of income during the pandemic.

       “This will give them the opportunity to rebuild their careers and earning capacity,” he added.

       Mohd Rizal said a wider scope in employment opportunities would also help community members acquire experience.

       Irene Low, who lost her job last year during the peak of the pandemic, said the move to encourage employers to hire women who had not been working for a long time was timely.

       “But I do hope that employers will not take the opportunity to hire experienced and skilled women and only offer them RM1,500,” said Low, 56.

       She said she hoped employers would also take it upon themselves to help “down and out” women on a humanitarian basis and offer them jobs that matched their skills.

       Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced initiatives for employers who hire the disabled, Orang Asli, prisoners as well as women who have not been working for more than 365 days, single mothers and housewives.