PETALING JAYA: Thousands of Malaysians past retirement age are rejoining the workforce under a government push to harness their skills and experience, backed by new incentives, training programmes and legal safeguards.
From Jan to Aug this year, 2,317 job seekers aged 60 and above actively sought work, with 265 successfully placed in various sectors, according to the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
The Human Resources Ministry regards senior citizens as ‘productive assets’ and is committed to expanding their role in the labour market through targeted initiatives.
“All senior citizen employment programmes are coordinated through the employment subcommittee under the technical committee of the National Senior Citizens’ Policy,” the ministry said in a written reply.
One of the flagship measures is Socso’s dedicated Profiling Programme, which collects data on senior citizens’ education, skills, work history and interests to connect them with suitable vacancies.
Under the 2024 Budget, Socso introduced the Daya Kerjaya Programme 2.0, offering wage incentives to employers who hire vulnerable groups, including seniors. As of August, 3,505 employers have hired seniors through the scheme, benefiting 5,754 individuals.
The ministry, via the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), has also launched the Madani training programme to improve training and job placement efficiency, targeting workers in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), persons with disabilities, retirees and ex-offenders. Initiatives include Seniors Back in Action, Second Chances and Opportunities for People to Excel, PWD (people with disabilities) Development and MSME Development.
TalentCorp’s Senior Citizens Back to Work programme has also engaged more than 500 seniors in skills development workshops, while the ministry is boosting opportunities in the care industry, which is seen as well-suited for older workers.
