Ooi Tze Howe of Higher Education Malaysia Association said the absence of a social protection policy for the youth-majority gig economy workforce is “a missing piece of the puzzle” in the 2024 budget that was tabled.
“There are no so-called enforcement policies to the gig platforms to provide social safety nets for the gig workers. That is considered ‘a miss’,” the group founder and president told FMT.
He stressed the importance of having a law that enforces these social protection rules on gig platforms and urged the government to introduce laws that govern the activities of the gig economy.
Ooi said Anwar also did not announce how far existing subsidies will be removed and the type of income that will be affected by rationalisation.
“If the petrol subsidies are removed widely, then it will trigger nationwide inflation, which would affect youths’ spending on their lifestyles. That is the most important (piece of the) puzzle that is missing,” he added.
However, Ooi acknowledged some good news for the youth, such as the extension of PTPTN repayment discounts, RM1,500 cap on registration fees for public universities, and assurance from Putrajaya that universities would not block students who are unable to pay fees for course registrations.
He also felt that while the budget offers tax relief of up to RM2,000 as payment for skills improvement or self-improvement courses, the government should have placed stronger emphasis on the ‘know-how” courses that are related to current economic directions that mainly focus on climate resilient and green-growth-related sectors.
“Malaysia really has a lack of talent in these areas. Therefore, the government should adopt policies and incentives to encourage youths to have their skills upgraded with regards to these sectors,” he said.
Community work
Meanwhile, Undi-18 co-founder Qyira Yusri applauded Anwar’s RM500 cash incentive for youths who volunteer for government-recognised bodies.
“Oftentimes, young people find it challenging to volunteer because it becomes a choice between earning a side income or community work,” she told FMT.
“This (incentive) would also showcase that community work doesn’t have to be something you have to sacrifice your time for, because the government will compensate you for it.”
She was also pleased that the budget addressed several key areas of concern for youths, such as bankruptcy and entrepreneurship.
Youth programmes
In his 2024 budget speech, Anwar announced that RM20 million will be provided for Rakan Muda to carry out more youth programmes and that the Tunas Usahawan Belia Bumiputera (Tube) programme will be continued with an allocation of RM20 million
In addition, the Tekun youth mobilepeneur scheme will also be continued with an allocation of RM10 million to help youths providing delivery services using motorcycles.
A total allocation of RM393.8 billion was announced by Anwar, who is also the finance minister. This represents a RM5.8 billion increase compared with the RM388 billion that was allocated for 2023.
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