Human Resources Minister M Saravanan Says Better To Have A Low Paying Job Than No Job
"Accept any job, even if there is a salary cut."
By Sadho Ram — 09 Aug 2020, 11:53 AM
Saravanan Murugan, who helms the Ministry of Human Resources under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration, says that, in his advise, Malaysians should "accept any job, even if there is a salary cut"
The Tapah member of the Parliament (MP) advises so because of the current situation, saying that given the extraordinary times, a low paying job is better than no job at all.
"It is better for us to have a job opportunity with a low salary than no job," the Human Resources Minister was quoted as saying by Astro Awani on Saturday, 8 August.
He was commenting on the issue of unemployment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), the country's unemployment rate decreased by 0.4% to 4.9% in June 2020 compared to a record-high of 5.3% in May this year.
Saravanan, however, assured that with the help from the government, the situation will gradually recover.
In the meantime or until the situation changes, all those who have lost their jobs should seize any opportunity at this time given the uncertain economic situation, the Minister remarked.
As an MP and a Cabinet minister, Saravanan takes home an estimated RM54,400 every month, which includes cash perks of RM25,000
The above numbers are based on details that were made public in December 2019 by former minister of domestic trade and consumer affairs Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The total monthly salary that a minister, who is also an MP, takes home is RM29,400.
The current salaries and allowances of the Cabinet ministers in the PN administration might not be the same as their counterparts in the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
Last month, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) launched an asset declaration website, under which, so far 60 out of the 70 members of the PN administration, comprising the Prime Minister, Senior Ministers, Ministers, and their Deputies, have declared their asset information.
While Saravanan's deputy Haji Hashim declared his monthly income at RM36,600, the Human Resources Minister has made no such declarations at the time of writing this story.
Meanwhile, Saravanan also said that his Ministry will set up a special portal specifically for Malaysians who lost their jobs abroad
According to him, this will make it easier for the Ministry to know the actual number of those who had lost their jobs by registering in the portal before being assisted.
"I will announce more details about the portal on Monday. I need to know the actual number of Malaysians who have lost their jobs so that the Ministry can offer various skills training or job opportunities that suit them," he was quoted as saying by Bernama yesterday.
"This is one of the steps we are taking to overcome the problem of unemployment because most of those who lost their jobs have high commitments such as housing and car loans. Although it is a personal issue, the government is very concerned about them," the Minister said
