Job hunting? Here’s how these Budget 2022 initiatives can help you land a job!

If you’re constantly complaining about your job, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Last year saw Malaysia’s highest ever unemployment rate since the start of the millennia, peaking at the cruising altitude of 5.3% in May 2020.

While the current unemployment rate sits at a less vertigo-inducing 4.6%, it’s still a little off the 4% mark that Malaysia is aiming for. Looking at the recent Budget 2022 announcement, we did see measures intended to create new jobs and incentivise companies to hire unemployed Malaysians, such as the JaminKerja initiative that includes MySTEP.

Let’s take a look at what these initiatives translate to for jobseekers who are looking to secure jobs, upgrade their skills, or those in need of some cash to get by while job hunting.

1. MySTEP: Get yourself a short-term job placement

Can’t get a job if you don’t have experience… can’t get experience if you don’t land a job. Well, MySTEP may be your stepping stone to exit this hell loop. This program focuses on providing short term employment and training, especially for fresh grads and those who are unemployed.

Through this program, participants will be given an opportunity to work in either the public sector or in a government-linked company (GLC) such as PETRONAS, EPF, PNB, and Khazanah Nasional. They will also be paid accordingly based on their qualifications and job scopes, and receive employee benefits like annual leave, sick leave, EPF & SOCSO.

MySTEP will be open to all Malaysians aged 18 and above who are unemployed, and applications can be made directly to the participating ministries and GLCs. You can click here for more information on MySTEP, or check out the links below for vacancies in the GLCs we mentioned:

• Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB)​
• Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS)​
• Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja / Employees Provident Fund

Do bear in mind that since this program is for 2022, the links may not be updated with the latest info yet, so you might have to revisit them next year for updates.

2.  Upgrade yourself through reskilling and upskilling programs

If a Skillshare subscription isn’t really your cup of tea, you can still learn new skills through various reskilling and upskilling programs next year. There will be 14 programs to cater to 220,000 trainees, and we’re gonna break down two of the most attractive programs for you:

‘Place-and-Train’ by HRDCorp.

The ‘Place-and-Train’ program is exactly as it sounds. Participants can apply for relevant training courses offered by specific companies and agencies which would be supported by the Malaysian government.

After completing their training, the participants can obtain a job placement in any of the related industries. To make this even more attractive, it’s actually compulsory for the employers to hire the applicants and offer them a minimum contract of one year.

This program is currently open to all unemployed Malaysians, however the top priority is given to Malaysians who are within these target groups:

• • School leavers aged between 18 to 40 years with or without school/exam certificate
  • Unemployed fresh grads who have obtained Diploma/Degree
  • Retrenched workers aged between 18 to 55 years who are registered with Employment Insurance System (EIS)

For more information on how to apply for the ‘Place-and-Train’ program, you can click here to check out their official website.

‘Global Online Workforce (GLOW)’ by MDEC.

If you wanna become a freelancer, the Global Online Workforce (GLOW) program is probably for you. Essentially, this program is aimed to guide Malaysians in becoming freelancers through digital platforms.

The GLOW program is typically a 3-day intensive training program that guides applicants on how they can start freelancing digitally and develop their own freelancing portfolio. It’s open to all Malaysians aged 18 years and above who are either:

• • Outside of formal employment (basically, not working a full-time job).
  • Retrenched, or has undergone a 50% pay cut and above.
  • Unemployed, or underemployed.

For more information on the GLOW program and how to apply, you can click here to check out their official website.

Outside of GLOW and Place & Train, there are also other programs offered. We’ve scoured the internet to find the relevant links (but bear in mind that most of these programs are still a work-in-progress, so we only linked the ones we could find at the time of writing):

• HRDCorp by HRDC (where you’ll also find the link to Upskill Malaysia, among other programs)
• PRUV-ATM by PERHEBAT
• SLDN Plus by JPK
• KPT-CAP by MOHE
• Upskilling for Deeptech and Future Skills by MOSTI
• Partnerships with State Governments by FMSDC
• PERKASA TVET by PTPK
• Creative Graduates Incubator Programme by MyCreative Ventures

If you were rajin enough to click on all the links, you may notice that most of them are free, but some of them come with a fee. For example, KPT-CAP offers 1 free upskilling course, but if you take more than one, you have to fund it yourself. In the case where you do fork out money though, you can claim income tax relief up to RM2,000, so do keep the receipts!

Additionally, if you take a course with any approved professional bodies or recognized higher education institutions (ie, colleges or unis), you can also claim up to RM7,000 income tax relief. Click here if you wanna know what else you can claim taxes for in 2022.

3. Get a job search allowance through MyFutureJobs

Job hunting can put a strain on your wallet, especially when you have to buy formal clothes or travel to attend interviews. So hey, why not apply for the Job Search Allowance?

Basically, the Job Search Allowance (SIP EMP+) is given to those who are unemployed or lost their job. And the allowance is actually quite generous! For non-SOCSO contributors (i.e. freelancers, fresh grads), they can get RM300/month for 3 months; and for SOCSO contributors, it’s waaaay more. Assuming your last drawn salary is RM4,000, here’s how much you can get based on this handy calculator:

It’s not free money though, cause you have to be genuinely looking for jobs to get this. So here’s what you have to do:

• Be registered on MyFutureJobs, which is the Ministry of Human Resources’ official job portal
• Be registered on the PRIHATIN PERKESO app for allowance payment purposes (can download on Google play or Apple App Store)
• Attend at least 3 job interviews monthly, which is arranged by SOCSO

Aside from helping you land job interviews and giving you pocket money, they’ll also reward you with a bonus Job Preparation Allowance if you’re able to secure a job early! For non-SOSCO contributors, it’s RM400 if they get a job within 3 months. And for SOSCO contributors, it depends on your last drawn salary, but be rest assured that it’s way more than RM400!

We’ll have to wait a while longer for the Budget 2022 Job Search Allowance application to open, BUTTTTTT for the time being, you can apply for the 2021 version of the Job Search Allowance, also known as SIP Prihatin 2.0. Application closes on 31 December 2021, so don’t procrastinate ah.

And that’s not all, because…

There are still many more benefits in Budget 2022!

In addition to all the programs that we mentioned earlier, there are many other incentives under the JaminKerja initiative set up to bring more Malaysians into the workforce. There’s the RM600/month incentive for gig workers, RM900/month apprentice allowance, wage subsidies up to 40% for employers who hire unemployed Malaysians, and more.

If you wanna check out other benefits you can get, head on over to the Manfaat Bajet 2022 website and use the filter function to see what benefits suit you… or can help you buy a suit, y’know, for your job interview.

And last but not least, we wish you all the best in your job search! May the force be with you ❤️❤️❤️