KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 31,476 workers in the country have been retrenched as of September this year.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Ismail Abd Muttalib said from the figure, 17,051 or 54.2 per cent were normal retrenchments while 14,425 (45.8 per cent) had accepted Voluntary Separation Schemes (VSS).

“Last year, 44,343 workers in the country were retrenched with 22,452 or 55.1 per cent being normal retrenchment while the remainders resigned via VSS,” he said during the Minister's Question Time (MQT) in Parliament today.

Ismail was replying to Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid (BN-Kuala Kangsar) who had asked the Human Resource Minister to state the number of workers who had lost their jobs as a result of the weak global economy.

He said the government is sympathetic to the plight of the workers and various measures are being implemented to help them find other jobs.

"Retrenchment is inevitable, among the factors being the instability of the national economy and the global market, a decline in or lack of demand for goods and services.

“The optimisation of information communication technology, business closures in full or in part, downsizing of the workforce, acquisitions, restructuring and mergers are also factors that contribute to layoffs," he said.

Ismail said the ministry has taken measures to ensure that workers do not lose their source of income. The ministry, for example, will hold a job fair which will be held on Nov 5 in nine Urban Transformation Centres (UTC), he said.

Source:
http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/11/185052/more-31000-people-retrenched-year-says-human-resources-ministry