n

n

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Most of us are aware that the Social Security Organisation (Socso) – which we contribute a small amount of our salaries to every month – offers workers a safety net for workplace injuries.

But did you know it also helps prepare you for jobs?

Socso plays a growing role in employment support – particularly for young Malaysians who are still exploring their career options.

“When you ask every kid what is your future occupation, very often we hear ‘I’m going to become an influencer, I’m going to have my own business’,” Gayathri Vadivel, head of Socso’s employment services division, said during the recent World Social Security Forum (WSSF).

To address this, Socso has been actively visiting secondary schools and universities nationwide to raise awareness about the wide range of job opportunities available in Malaysia as well as the emerging trends and in-demand skill sets.

Socso has been doing this under its MYFutureJobs initiatives since 2020. Last year alone, Socso visited over 500 secondary schools.

Going beyond just being a doctor, lawyer or engineer

According to Gayathri, Socso brings its Career Exploration Programme to schools where profiling and psychometric assessments are carried out to help students understand their skillsets, strengths and weaknesses.

Based on its data on jobs in Malaysia, Socso shares possible future career pathways with students and school career counsellors “because they always think – doctor, lawyer, engineer, or nurse or whatever – the standard ones,” she told Malay Mail when met on the sidelines of the WSSF.

“So when we go down to schools, when we share with them, what are the current labour market trends, what are the important skills needed by employers – they wake up, it’s a wake-up call for them,” she explained.

Socso’s MYFutureJobs portal also features a Career Bridge Tool, which provides information on the qualifications that students should pursue based on their strengths and career inclinations.

n

n

n

n n

n

Socso’s employment services division’s head Gayathri Vadivel. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

n

n

Helping university students be future-ready for jobs

“We tell them that, ‘Okay, you are in university. But to go to the job market to get good pay and all that, you need these skill sets. So while you are studying, you can also look into improving your skill sets in this area,” she told Malay Mail.

For example, for students studying IT, Socso shares specific in-demand skills sought by employers, such as the programming language Python.

“So, because we know what the employers’ demands are, we are able to go down and say that ‘look, you need to have this in place’.

“You are not employable enough, because yes, you have your degree, but the company wants this specific skill set. So you need to do something to be employable,” she said.

Under Socso’s MYFutureJobs’ job portal, employers would list the skill sets needed for various job vacancies.

Socso uses this data to visit schools and universities, highlighting future job opportunities in the formal sector.

In addition, Socso also helps prepare university students for the workforce, from understanding social security and the labour market to preparing for job interviews.

It also brings employers to campuses to help students secure jobs before graduating and reduce mismatches between their studies and future roles.

So why do Malaysians choose informal work?

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more Malaysians have moved into informal work with the number of gig workers growing from 0.5 million in 2018, to 1.2 million in 2025, Gayathri said.

n

n

n

n n

n

Some are attracted to informal work as it provides flexibility. File photo of an e-hailing sticker on a car in Kuala Lumpur. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

n

n

Today, many informal workers in Malaysia are employed in e-hailing, p-hailing, and online services, she added.

If you think university students would be more inclined to choose formal work, Gayathri said: “No, sometimes you’d be surprised.”

She explained that many people view informal work, such as e-hailing or online selling, as a way to earn more money in a shorter period compared to formal jobs, like office work.

They may also prefer being “their own boss” and enjoy the flexibility of working whenever they choose.

The solution, she said, is to offer more high-quality jobs with high pay and flexible work arrangements to attract informal workers into formal employment.

Gayathri said Socso advocates to employers to redesign job packages, by offering formal jobs that still have elements typically found in informal work.

She also highlighted the Human Resources Ministry’s release of guidelines last year, aimed at encouraging employers to implement flexible work arrangements.

Want to quit informal work and move into formal jobs?

Gayathri explained that Socso also supports informal workers in transitioning to formal jobs.

She noted that some turned to self-employment or informal work as they did not have the opportunity to secure good formal jobs.

She shared that if someone is tired of being their own boss after years of e-hailing work, Socso’s MYFutureJobs can direct them to the necessary reskilling programmes and job opportunities.

“We’ve helped more than 10,000 beneficiaries with training programmes this year alone, with about 30 per cent placements within between three to six months,” she said.

n

n

n

n n

n

Socso is ready to help equip you with skills, if you want to move from informal work to formal work. File photo showing p-hailing vehicles at Laman MBPJ in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

n

n

Why it’s important to be a Socso contributor

Socso’s Lindung Kendiri scheme provides protection for self-employed individuals across 20 sectors, including gig workers.

Monthly contributions are mandatory for those in e-hailing, p-hailing, and hawker sectors, while others contribute on a voluntary basis.

Gayathri highlighted the importance of contributing to Socso, noting that it enables the agency to promptly detect if someone may need assistance and proactively reach out to offer support.

“Once they come into the system, we know, every time they contribute, that means they are actively working, they don’t need assistance. But the minute they stop contributing, we need to know what happened to them – maybe they stopped business, they need help,” she said.

Again, this is where MYFutureJobs can help, as it lists jobs ranging from full-time positions to contractual, short-term, freelance and self-employed roles, as well as internship positions.

Gayathri said Socso has an advantage through its dual role — providing social security protection to contributors (including unemployment benefits via the Employment Insurance System) and promoting employment (via MYFutureJobs) for both contributors and non-contributors.

This enables Socso to have data on those under social security coverage, as well as data on the job market — including sunset and sunrise industries — all within a single system.

Ultimately, Gayathri stressed the importance for all Malaysians to come under Socso’s social security coverage, regardless of whether they are a formal or informal worker: “We should not leave anyone behind.”

n

n

n

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Oct 20 — Police have detained two more men to assist in the investigation into the case of a woman found dead along with her daughter at a house in Kampung Sekolah Juru here on Saturday.

According to national news agency Bernama, Penang Police Chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said both men, in their 40s and including a foreign national, were arrested separately in the area today.

“Police will bring both of them to court tomorrow for remand proceedings, and we believe they can assist in the investigation of this case,” he said.

Azizee added that police are also working to identify whether any other individuals were involved in the murder of the mother and daughter, with detailed investigations ongoing, including efforts to determine the motive.

Media reports on Saturday stated that the bodies of the woman and her daughter were found in a distressing condition at a house in Kampung Sekolah Juru, believed to be victims of homicide.

Azizee was reported to have said that the 51-year-old woman, a kuih seller, and her 11-year-old daughter were discovered by the woman’s husband, who returned home at around 7.30pm, and that the case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Following the incident, police have remanded the 57-year-old husband for a week until October 25 to assist in the investigation. — Bernama

n

n

n

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — A cook died after his motorcycle was involved in a collision with a sports utility vehicle (SUV) at Kilometer 61 on the Kuala Terengganu-Kota Bharu Road in Kampung Rahmat today.

Setiu District Police Chief, Superintendent Mohd Zain Mat Dris, said the victim, 61-year-old Loh Eng Keat from Penang, was pronounced dead at the scene.

He added that police received a report of the accident involving two vehicles — a Proton X70 SUV and a Yamaha 135 LC motorcycle — at 11.37am.

“The Proton X70 driver was reportedly travelling from Kuala Terengganu to Kota Bharu, while the victim was heading in the opposite direction.

“Preliminary investigations indicate the collision occurred when the SUV driver rammed into the motorcycle from the opposite lane. The SUV driver and three passengers were unharmed,” he said in a statement today.

The victim’s body was sent to Setiu Hospital for a post-mortem, and the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

n

n

n

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — A man was killed after the four-wheel-drive vehicle he was driving was crushed by a fallen tree along Jalan Batang Kali, Hulu Selangor, following heavy rain earlier this afternoon.

According to BuletinTV3, Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar, assistant director of operations at the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, said his team received an emergency call about the incident at 2.35pm.

A team from the Kuala Kubu Bharu Fire and Rescue Station was immediately dispatched to the scene.

“The operations commander reported that a fallen tree had crushed a four-wheel-drive vehicle, involving a male Malay victim who is believed to have died. Extrication work is currently underway,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, continuous heavy rain from around 2pm caused several areas in Klang Valley and Selangor to experience fallen trees and flash floods.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued thunderstorm and heavy rain warnings for several states today, including Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Sabah.

n

n

n

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The European Union (EU) commended Malaysia’s Asean 2025 chairmanship, describing it as tremendous and impressive, while also expressing hope to strengthen cooperation with the region by enhancing human rights values within future economic and trade agreements.

EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren said the EU views Malaysia as a key partner in the region, particularly in advancing policy dialogue on human rights alongside broader cooperation in trade and investment.

“Malaysia has done a tremendous job being the Chair of Asean.

“For the European Union, Malaysia is a very relevant partner not only in foreign trade and investment, but also specifically on human rights related and economical agenda,” she told Bernama in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of her visit here, recently.

The Myanmar conundrum 

Ollongren said Malaysia as current Asean Chair has played an important role to support dialogues between regional and international human rights agencies to end humanitarian aggression in Myanmar.

However she noted more need to be done, urging for Asean to press Myanmar’s warring factions to halt violence against civilians.

She reaffirmed EU’s supports for the Asean-led Five-Point Consensus (5PC) aimed at ending violence and restoring stability in the country.

The crisis, which began following the military coup in February 2021, has led to widespread conflict and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes and seek refuge abroad, including in Malaysia.

As of May 2025, there were 200,260 refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar registered in Malaysia.

The affected comprised of Rohingyas, Chins, and other ethnic groups from conflict-affected areas or those fleeing persecution in the country.

Advocating human rights cooperation

Elaborating, Ollongren said the EU is looking forward to work closely with Malaysia and other Asean countries to ensure that human rights principles are embedded in future trade cooperation between both regions.

“I hope that as we move forward with the free trade agreement, we will be able to take human rights concerns on board, with the goal of strengthening its (human rights) role as an integral part of the future agreement currently being negotiated,” she said.

The EU was Malaysia’s fourth-largest trading partner in 2024, while Malaysia was the EU’s 22nd largest trading partner with total trade amounting €46.4 billion (RM229.3 billion).

Regionally, Malaysia was the EU’s third-largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

On Jan 20, 2025, the EU and Malaysia announced the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive and modern free trade agreement (FTA) with the first round taking place in late June.

The agreement was initially launched in 2010. In 2012 and after seven rounds of negotiations, it was put on hold at Malaysia’s request.

According to the European Commission, in 2023, both parties began a stocktaking exercise to determine their positions regarding a possible resumption of the negotiations.

The EU carried out a joint scoping exercise with Malaysia to determine the scope and the level of ambition of the future trade agreement, which concluded in Dec 2024.

Advancing human rights dialogue 

Ollongren was recently on a working visit to Kuala Lumpur to attend the EU-Asean Policy Dialogue on Human Rights, a key platform for discussions on human rights between the two regions in the past decade.

The meeting covers various themes including civil society and political rights, environmental rights, and labour rights, reflecting the current stage of regional development and the evolving human rights landscape in Asean.

Ollongren said she had met and exchanged views with Malaysian Members of Parliament on the UN Convention on Refugees.

“I have discussed the possibility of Malaysia joining the convention to strengthen the relationship with the UNHCR, and Malaysia could also profit from the capacity and the capability of the agency,” she said.

She also held dialogues with Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) and Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) to continue working together to strengthen human rights protection and civic space within the Asean region. — Bernama

n