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Number Of Self-Employed In Sarawak Registered With Socso Still Low, Says Director
Socso officers register vegetable sellers under SKSPS.
May 13th, 2022 | 13:05 PM | 519 views
KUCHING
Only some 12,000 self-employed individuals in Sarawak have registered with the Social Security Organisation (Socso), said its state director Philip Sangkan.
He told The Borneo Post that this figure is well below the actual number of self-employed persons that Socso believes are in the state.
“We encourage them to register with Socso under the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS) to protect themselves. For instance, traders selling vegetables in the market – they too are entitled for Socso benefits.
“It’s more about the protection they could get once they have Socso benefits. The moment they leave their house to their shop or the market and then go back home, or while they are at work, they are covered,” he said when met at his office here yesterday.
He said contribution to SKSPS will allow the self-employed to receive various benefits such as medical, as well as temporary and permanent disability benefits.
“For Sarawak, our statistics show the number of registered self-employed is still quite low. Even though it is not compulsory, we encourage them to apply,” he added.
In 2020, the government extended SKSPS to 19 other sectors including agriculture, livestock, goods and food transport, online business, hawkers and construction.
According to Philip, self-employed individuals who register before the end of this year will only need to pay 20 per cent as the government will provide matching contribution assistance of 80 per cent.
“For example, those who choose Plan 2, which means they have to pay RM232.80 per year, the government will cover 80 per cent or RM232.80 while the individual will only pay RM46.60.
“Therefore, I urge the self-employed to take the opportunity to register with Socso for protection while the subsidy is still available until the end of this year.”
He also said for the e-hailing category including food delivery riders, Socso registration is mandatory.
“For Foodpanda, Socso has signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the company whereby their riders only pay 10 per cent of the contribution because the government covers 80 per cent and the company pays 10 per cent.
“The nature of their (food delivery rider) job is very risky, and that is why the government made it compulsory for them to have Socso coverage,” he said.
Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST
by JACQUELINE DAVID
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