KUALA LUMPUR: The government has allocated RM23bil to help employers retain their workers under the Wage Subsidy Scheme through several economic assistance packages.

       Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said the initiative had successfully reduced the numbers of workers who have lost their job last year by 107,024 individuals.

       "As of August 2021, a total of 43,924 people have lost their jobs.

       "Without the assistance under the Wage Subsidy Scheme, those numbers would have likely been higher as is the case in other countries," he told Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson) during Question Time at Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Sept 15).

       Anwar had asked the government to reveal the steps taken to address the problem of unemployment in the country.

       Saravanan added that under the Pemulih aid package, the ministry had implemented several initiatives between July 15 and Dec 31 last year.

       Among them was the Wage Subsidy Programme 4.0 with an allocation of RM3.8bil to help employers reduce their business operational cost, which had benefited 2.5 million workers.

       Others include the Penjaya Kerjaya 3.0 programme to assist affected groups by providing incentives to employers to hire those who are above 40 years old, OKUs and former convicts under a working contract.

       On the issue of unemployment among fresh graduates, Saravanan said in 2020, the unemployment rate increased to 4.4% from 3.9% in the previous year.