KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 11): Over 17,300 job seekers have secured employment via the national employment portal MYFutureJobs as of Feb 9, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

He said although the Movement Control Order (MCO) is still in force, the employment services programme would continue online, in providing job placements for local workers, especially those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Human Resources (KSM) is optimistic the employment services programme could be intensified through MyFutureJobs, as 14 PenjanaKerjaya carnivals, 660 open interview sessions would be held nationwide, apart from the 180 online interview and 200 job webinar sessions," he said in a statement to Bernama today.

MYFutureJobs is a platform for KSM to monitor job matching involving locals, as well as to ensure that Malaysians are given priority in employment opportunities.

Applications for foreign workers or expatriates will only be considered if there are no Malaysians interested in the positions.

Saravanan said MYFutureJobs was one of KSM's initiatives in supporting the government's efforts through the National Employment Council (NEC), to realise strategies to generate and maintain jobs in line with Budget 2021 goals of safeguarding the “People's Welfare'.

He said KSM as the co-chairman with the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (MEDAC) under the Special Task Force Human Resource and Entrepreneurship (STF HRE) had been responsible for implementing various other initiatives to assist and support the NEC.

Through the PenjanaKerjaya initiative, Saravanan said KSM would increase cooperation with the related parties to ensure that trainings are implemented in line with industry needs.

“This is to address the issue of mismatch between labour supply and demand as well as increase employment opportunities and marketability among local job seekers,” he said.

Saravanan said the ministry would also expand upskilling & reskilling, in an effort to equip local workers with relevant skills and knowledge in line with industry needs.

He said this would be implemented through Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB) in collaboration with agencies under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

To achieve this, private sector leaders such as the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA), East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) and Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (SEDIA) would be involved, he added.