SHAH ALAM, June 22 — The Selangor Resilience Enhancement Package Phase 2 serves as a crucial initiative in providing targeted interventions to help those who lose their jobs rebuild their livelihoods, a state government backbencher said.
Teratai assemblyman Yew Jia Haur said support measures such as the Platform Selangor (PLATS) Career Transition programme, which helps unemployed individuals venture into entrepreneurship, provide an opportunity for them to generate income and regain financial stability.
“This is a second chance for them to rise again and become owners of their own businesses by leveraging their existing management skills in the commercial sector,” he said during the debate on the stimulus package at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
On June 19, when tabling the package at a special sitting of the legislative assembly, Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state government would roll out the PLATS Career Transition programme to help workers who have lost their jobs acquire basic business skills and access opportunities in the digital economy.
He said the state government would allocate RM4 million for the initiative, which aims to provide an alternative pathway for affected workers by equipping them with entrepreneurship knowledge and support to start a business.
A total of 5,000 individuals will be offered places in the programme, accounting for about half of the approximately 10,000 Selangor residents who have lost their jobs this year.
Yew said such assistance is especially important for workers aged between 40 and 60 who lose their jobs, as they face a higher risk of slipping from the middle-income group into urban poverty due to challenges in re-entering the labour market.
He noted that many retrenched middle-aged workers struggle with significant financial commitments while facing barriers in securing new employment.
“At this stage of life, losing a job is not merely the loss of a monthly payslip, but a devastating psychological and financial crisis. At this age, their commitments are at their highest.
“They still have to pay off their housing and car loans, cover their children’s higher education expenses and bear the rising medical costs of ageing parents.
“What is even more concerning is that when they try to re-enter the job market and apply for new positions, they often face widespread discrimination,” he said.
Citing statistics from the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Yew said 10,869 Selangor residents lost their livelihoods between January and May this year, with 40 per cent involving management and professional positions.
“Who are these 40 per cent of professionals and technicians who are forced to walk out of their offices carrying boxes? They are mostly middle-aged workers, fathers and mothers aged between 40 and 60.
“They face tremendous difficulties returning to the workforce because private companies often prefer younger graduates due to lower hiring costs and assumptions that older workers may struggle to adapt to new technologies,” he said.
“As a result, this group becomes marginalised, neglected and left struggling. If they are not assisted, they risk falling from the middle class directly into the trap of urban poverty.”
Meanwhile, Yew said the Selangor Resilience Enhancement Package reflects the state government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities through targeted and data-driven measures.
