PUTRAJAYA: Employers are encouraged to hire former convicts in order to overcome the shortage of workers in the country, according to Human Resource Minister M. Kula Segaran.
He said several ministries, including the Youth and Sports Ministry, had started to offer jobs to former convicts and initiatives to employers who hired them.
“We hope that employers will give them a chance, this is a matter of concern because the unemployment rate in Malaysia stands at 3.3%.
“The country still needs workers and I believe that former convicts should be helped by giving them jobs,” he told reporters after launching the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2019 at Dataran Putrajaya, here today.
Previously, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said he would hire three former convicts to work at his office at the ministry as an initiative to change the stigma and negative perception of the group.
Kula Segaran said the ministry would also prepare technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for former convicts before they started working.
The minister had earlier flagged off almost 10,000 participants in the Labour Day Run & Ride 2019 which was held in conjunction with this year’s Labour Day.
He also took part in a 2.5-km walk with his deputy Datuk Mahfuz Omar and senior ministry officials.
Meanwhile, Social Security Organisation CEO Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said the annual event was held to promote a healthy lifestyle among the workforce.
