KUALA LUMPUR Oct 31 — Private sector workers who were retrenched since January this year have been entitled to full-fledged benefits through the provisions of the Employment Insurance System (EIS) Act to receive temporary financial assistance as well as to help them find new jobs.

Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran said his ministry had enacted the Act to provide insurance for retrenched workers so that they could be better protected.

"Through the EIS, workers who are laid off are entitled to temporary financial assistance, job seeking and placement, training programmes and so on, subject to eligibility under the Act.

"The amount of Job Search Allowance paid depends on the percentage of the average monthly assumption, that is 80 per cent in the first month, 50 per cent in the second, 40 per cent in the third and fourth months and 30 per cent in the fifth and sixth months,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2020 for his ministry at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Kulasegaran said the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) had helped nearly 90 per cent of those who were laid off to find new jobs, which involved 12,019 workers from January to September 2019. — Bernama