KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has made significant progress in strengthening workers’ welfare and labour rights over the past year, with the national unemployment rate dropping to a 10-year low of 3.1 per cent, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said.
Speaking at the APEC Human Resources Ministerial Meeting (HRDMM) in Jeju, Korea, Sim highlighted several key reforms, including a 13 per cent increase in the national minimum wage and a 20 per cent boost in social security benefits for workers.
“We have extended full social security protection, previously only enjoyed by our citizens, to foreign workers, legislated ILOC 155 (International Labour Organization Convention) on occupational safety and health after 43 years, reduced previous restrictions on the setting up of labour unions and allocated up to RM10 billion for various schemes related to education and training,” he said.
He noted that more women are now entering the workforce and homemakers are covered under social security insurance for care work at home. For the first time, the median wage surpassed the RM3,000 threshold, marking a major milestone for wage growth in the country.
“These are very important progresses for us, simply because workers’ well-being is a critical non-negotiable component in our government,” he said.
Reflecting on the post-pandemic context, Sim added that the COVID-19 crisis underscored the dual importance of life and livelihood, with the guiding principle that “no one is safe until everyone is safe”.
“Our global faith is much more intertwined than some people would want us to believe. May I therefore suggest that this lesson forms the framework of our discussion, that workers’ well-being is non-negotiable, and we can only do well if we work together,” he said.
Sim also shared his intention to table a historic Gig Workers Bill in the next parliamentary sitting, which aims to provide better protection and recognition for workers in the gig economy.
Sim is leading the Malaysian delegation to the HRDMM in Jeju, which is being held for the first time in 11 years. The last meeting took place in Vietnam in 2014.
The ministerial meeting is part of the broader Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference and carries the theme “Labour Market Sustainability and Future Work”.
