KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 — The Dewan Rakyat today passed the Employees’ Social Security (Amendment) Bill 2025, which, among others, seeks to introduce the Lindung 24/7 protection scheme, providing employees with comprehensive coverage at all times, including outside working hours.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said the scheme would benefit nearly 10 million formal workers nationwide.
When winding up the debate on the bill in the Dewan Rakyat, Sim said the Social Security Organisation (Socso) has the capability to ensure the smooth implementation of the scheme.
“The average processing time for claims under Socso over the past year was about 24 hours, demonstrating its efficiency in ensuring cases are handled promptly.
“Socso does not compromise on efficiency. On average, claims are processed within 1.29 days,” he said.
Sim added that the Human Resources Ministry (MOHR) is conducting a study on incentives for contributors who do not make claims within a specified period.
Earlier, when tabling the bill for second reading, Sim said 12,306 claims had been rejected by Socso from 2023 until last October, after they were determined to be outside the category of occupational accidents.
He said this number underscores the importance of implementing the Non-Occupational Accident Safety Scheme (SKBBK), which is included in the Employees’ Social Security (Amendment) Bill 2025.
He added that the scheme aims to prevent thousands of families from having to bear treatment and recovery costs on their own, simply because an accident occurred outside working hours.
The bill was passed by a majority voice vote, after being debated by 10 government and opposition MPs.
Meanwhile, the Dewan Rakyat also approved the Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill 2025, which seeks, among others, to increase benefits for Socso contributors who lose their jobs, and to strengthen the governance of the Employment Insurance System (SIP).
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad, when winding up the bill, said that as of November 30, 57,094 workers, or 85.3 per cent, had received various SIP benefits, out of 69,923 job-loss cases recorded by Socso over the past five years.
“The total value of SIP benefits approved amounts to RM437.19 million, and the government remains committed to ensuring that assistance continues to be delivered swiftly, transparently and effectively, so that affected workers can sustain themselves while re-entering the job market,” Rahman said.
The bill was approved with a majority vote, after being debated by six MPs from both the government and opposition sides.
