KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Feb 2009: Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said today that in the face of current economic uncertainty, many employers in the private sector have frozen their intake of new staff, especially for managerial and supervisory positions.
He said the priority now was for companies to keep afloat with existing staff strength, and to do their best to avoid retrenchment.
Shamsuddin urged the government to provide assistance quickly so that these companies could continue to operate.
He hoped the mini budget to be tabled on 10 March by Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also deputy prime minister, would provide for the private sector, especially the manufacturing industry, which was the hardest hit during the economic downturn.
For those retrenched, Shamsuddin suggested the government assist them by offering licences for petty trading.
Although retraining them was one option, it would require time to get the desired impact, he said. Getting the workers involved in small businesses would lead to immediate result. — Bernama
