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Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/emirresea/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Published by Focus Malaysia<\/a>, Astro Awani<\/a>, New Straits Times<\/a> & Bernama<\/a>, image from Focus Malaysia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The inaugural Budget 2021 delivered by the Perikatan Nasional government appeared to be a reflection of them trying their best to support the vulnerable groups affected by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic through the announced initiatives especially for youths. But for some initiatives, they still need enhancements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EMIR Research released two parts of preliminary commentaries for the Budget on Nov 6 but subsequently, individual opinion pieces would be released to provide in-depth insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following are the main government initiatives dedicated for the youths:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is positive to see that the proposals written in my previous article prior to the budget titled Budget 2021 \u2013 Youth\u2019s wishlist to endure the crisis namely the extension of hiring and training incentives, RTO scheme for affordable houses and improvement of digital infrastructure for education access were considered for the Budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, there are several measures which are missed out or they are not up to the expected level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, findings from EMIR Research\u2019s focus group discussion (FGD) in July involving youths revealed that students generally find it hard to sustain their living (financial anxiety), even those with scholarships due to insufficient funds to commit to their daily expenses while studying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, government\u2019s cash assistance for the underprivileged tertiary-education level students would help to cover at least their necessary living expenses alongside giving them more time to focus on their studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first RM250 bil stimulus package Prihatin, there was a one-off cash aid worth RM200 for higher-education students but sadly, it ended there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Budget 2021 revealed that the B40 children who will be receiving JKM\u2019s monthly welfare aid include the youths, it is only a small share of them considering the eligibility is only up to the 18-year-olds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about those aged beyond 18 attending university with no jobs and they are in the B40 group or partly M40 students who could be in an unfortunate situation too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, the government can consider distributing another round of cash assistance of RM200 to RM300 for the university students in these income groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This allocation would indeed be timely as the conditional movement order (CMCO) had been extended to another four weeks until Dec 6, thus, forcing students to continue studying at home so they will need to buy books and other learning materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, the RM50 e-wallet credit announced for youth seems to be limited in coverage as it is only for those aged 18 to 20 when youth population who are leveraging e-wallet to commit to their daily expenses accounts for more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it is hoped that the government can consider increasing the allocation for eBelia programme to provide e-wallet credits to a bigger population of youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As spoken by the Finance Minister during the Budget speech, \u201cyouths play an important role as pioneers and consumers in adopting the latest technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, although the government tackles the issue of unemployment amongst youth in the Budget but initiative to address underemployment appear to be limited to sectors with high reliance on foreign workers \u2013 a special incentive of 60% of monthly salary in which 40% will be channeled to the employers while 20% will be the top-up to local workers\u2019 salaries replacing foreign workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What about the other sectors that are not highly dependent on foreign workers which are concentrated by youths with high qualification levels but they are underpaid?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the matter of matching the industry demand and the supply of graduates into the labour market, hence, the necessity for education and training institutions to cooperate effectively with the industry players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the midst of the unprecedented crisis, everyone is trying their best to survive, so do the youths, thus, the urgent call to realise these proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nur Sofea Hasmira Azahar is Research Analyst at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![Focus Malaysia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe inaugural Budget 2021 delivered by the Perikatan Nasional government appeared to be a reflection of them trying their best to support the vulnerable groups affected by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic through the announced initiatives especially for youths. But for some initiatives, they still need enhancements.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEMIR Research released two parts of preliminary commentaries for the Budget on Nov 6 but subsequently, individual opinion pieces would be released to provide in-depth insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFollowing are the main government initiatives dedicated for the youths:<\/p>\n\n\n\nPrivate employers are given incentive of up to RM1,000 per month for up to three months for new graduates to join apprenticeship programme and the employers can claim a grant of up to RM4,000 for training programmes for the apprentices;<\/li>Hiring incentives (PenjanaKerjaya);<\/li>Reskilling and upskilling programmes with fund allocations provided to several involving government agencies;<\/li>Introduction of short-term employment programme (MySTEP);<\/li>Cash assistance ranging between RM350 and RM1,200 through Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) for B40 and M40 households as well as singles;<\/li>Monthly welfare aid of RM150 each, under Department of Social Welfare (JKM) for B40 children aged 7-18;<\/li>Measures to increase home ownership for first-time house buyers such as full stamp duty exemption until year 2025 and a Rent-to-Own (RTO) scheme;<\/li>E-wallet credit worth RM50 for youth aged 18 to 20 via eBelia programme;<\/li>A contribution worth RM150 mil from GLCs and GLICs to Tabung Cerdik for provision of laptops to 150,000 in schools (a pilot project);<\/li>An allocation of RM100 mil for laptop loan scheme for PTPTN borrowers;<\/li>Empowerment of TVET with an allocation of RM6 bil;<\/li>Telecommunication credit of RM180 to B40 Malaysians through Jaringan Prihatin Programme in 1Q21; and<\/li>Extension of Wage Subsidy Programme (WSP) for another three months for the hardest-hit sectors such as tourism for employees earning RM4,000 and below.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nIt is positive to see that the proposals written in my previous article prior to the budget titled Budget 2021 \u2013 Youth\u2019s wishlist to endure the crisis namely the extension of hiring and training incentives, RTO scheme for affordable houses and improvement of digital infrastructure for education access were considered for the Budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNonetheless, there are several measures which are missed out or they are not up to the expected level.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor instance, findings from EMIR Research\u2019s focus group discussion (FGD) in July involving youths revealed that students generally find it hard to sustain their living (financial anxiety), even those with scholarships due to insufficient funds to commit to their daily expenses while studying.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFirstly, government\u2019s cash assistance for the underprivileged tertiary-education level students would help to cover at least their necessary living expenses alongside giving them more time to focus on their studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the first RM250 bil stimulus package Prihatin, there was a one-off cash aid worth RM200 for higher-education students but sadly, it ended there.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlthough Budget 2021 revealed that the B40 children who will be receiving JKM\u2019s monthly welfare aid include the youths, it is only a small share of them considering the eligibility is only up to the 18-year-olds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat about those aged beyond 18 attending university with no jobs and they are in the B40 group or partly M40 students who could be in an unfortunate situation too?<\/p>\n\n\n\nPerhaps, the government can consider distributing another round of cash assistance of RM200 to RM300 for the university students in these income groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis allocation would indeed be timely as the conditional movement order (CMCO) had been extended to another four weeks until Dec 6, thus, forcing students to continue studying at home so they will need to buy books and other learning materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSecondly, the RM50 e-wallet credit announced for youth seems to be limited in coverage as it is only for those aged 18 to 20 when youth population who are leveraging e-wallet to commit to their daily expenses accounts for more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTherefore, it is hoped that the government can consider increasing the allocation for eBelia programme to provide e-wallet credits to a bigger population of youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs spoken by the Finance Minister during the Budget speech, \u201cyouths play an important role as pioneers and consumers in adopting the latest technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, although the government tackles the issue of unemployment amongst youth in the Budget but initiative to address underemployment appear to be limited to sectors with high reliance on foreign workers \u2013 a special incentive of 60% of monthly salary in which 40% will be channeled to the employers while 20% will be the top-up to local workers\u2019 salaries replacing foreign workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat about the other sectors that are not highly dependent on foreign workers which are concentrated by youths with high qualification levels but they are underpaid?<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is the matter of matching the industry demand and the supply of graduates into the labour market, hence, the necessity for education and training institutions to cooperate effectively with the industry players.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the midst of the unprecedented crisis, everyone is trying their best to survive, so do the youths, thus, the urgent call to realise these proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNur Sofea Hasmira Azahar is Research Analyst at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nBahasa Melayu<\/div>\nDiterbitkan oleh MalaysiaNow<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nBelanjawan 2021 telah disampaikan oleh kerajaan Perikatan Nasional buat pertama kali mencerminkan usaha mereka untuk membantu kumpulan rentan yang terjejas akibat pandemik Covid-19 melalui beberapa inisiatif terutamanya untuk golongan belia.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNamun, terdapat sebahagian inisiatif yang memerlukan penambahbaikan melibatkan beberapa inisiatif utama yang dikhaskan untuk atau melibatkan golongan belia.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAntara inisiatif itu termasuk insentif kepada majikan swasta sebanyak RM1,000 sebulan sehingga tiga bulan bagi setiap graduan baharu untuk mengikuti program perantisan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMajikan juga boleh menuntut geran sehingga RM4,000 untuk program latihan bagi perantis.<\/p>\n\n\n\nInsentif pengambilan pekerja (PenjanaKerjaya);<\/p>\n\n\n\nProgram peningkatan kemahiran dan latihan semula dengan peruntukan dana melalui beberapa agensi kerajaan;<\/p>\n\n\n\nPengenalan program pekerjaan jangka masa pendek (MySTEP);<\/p>\n\n\n\nBantuan tunai dengan kadar antara RM350 dan RM1,200 melalui Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) untuk golongan isi rumah B40 dan M40 serta individu bujang;<\/p>\n\n\n\nBantuan kebajikan bulanan berjumlah RM150 setiap seorang bagi kanak-kanak B40 yang berumur tujuh hingga 18 tahun;<\/p>\n\n\n\nInsentif untuk menggalakkan pemilikan rumah bagi pembelian rumah kediaman pertama seperti pengecualian duti setem sepenuhnya sehingga tahun 2025 dan juga skim sewa untuk milik (RTO);<\/p>\n\n\n\nKredit e-dompet bernilai RM50 secara sekali beri atau one off untuk belia berusia 18 hingga 20 tahun melalui program eBelia;<\/p>\n\n\n\nSumbangan bernilai RM150 juta daripada syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) dan syarikat pelaburan berkaitan kerajaan (GLIC) kepada Tabung Cerdik untuk pemberian komputer riba kepada 150,000 murid di 500 buah sekolah (projek rintis);<\/p>\n\n\n\nPeruntukan berjumlah RM100 juta untuk skim pinjaman komputer riba untuk peminjam Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN);<\/p>\n\n\n\nMemperkasa Pendidikan Teknikal dan Latihan Vokasional (TVET) dengan peruntukan sebanyak RM6 bilion;<\/p>\n\n\n\nKredit telekomunikasi bernilai RM180 untuk golongan B40 melalui Program Jaringan Prihatin bermula suku pertama tahun 2021 dan melanjutkan Program Subsidi Upah (PSU) dengan lebih bersasar selama tiga bulan lagi untuk sektor yang terjejas teruk seperti sector pelancongan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWalaupun beberapa cadangan yang ditulis dalam artikel saya sebelum ini bertajuk \u201cBudget 2021-Youth\u2019s wishlist to endure the crisis\u201d telah diumumkan dalam Belanjawan 2021, masih ada beberapa langkah rangsangan yang tidak dipertimbangkan atau tidak mencapai tahap yang diharapkan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSebagai contoh, hasil perbincangan daripada kumpulan fokus EMIR Research (FGD) pada bulan Julai melibatkan golongan belia mendedahkan bahawa para pelajar berasa sangat bimbang tentang status kewangan mereka walaupun ada yang mendapat biasiswa kerana elaun yang diberikan oleh pembiaya tidak mencukupi untuk menampung perbelanjaan harian mereka semasa belajar.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPertama sekali, bantuan tunai untuk pelajar universiti yang kurang bernasib baik akan membantu mereka sekurang-kurangnya untuk menampung perbelanjaan sara hidup sambil memberikan peluang kepada mereka untuk memberi tumpuan yang lebih kepada pembelajaran.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDalam pakej rangsangan ekonomi Prihatin yang bernilai RM250 bilion, terdapat bantuan tunai secara one off bernilai RM200 untuk pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi tetapi ia berakhir di situ.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWalaupun belia termasuk dalam golongan yang akan menerima bantuan kebajikan bulanan daripada Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat seperti yang diumumkan dalam Belanjawan 2021, ia hanya mewakili sebahagian kecil daripada kumpulan belia (berumur 15 hingga 18 tahun).<\/p>\n\n\n\nBagaimana pula mereka yang berusia lebih daripada 18 tahun yang merupakan pelajar universiti tanpa pekerjaan dan tergolong dalam kumpulan isi rumah B40 dan juga sebahagian daripada pelajar dalam kumpulan M40 yang mungkin berada dalam keadaan yang susah?<\/p>\n\n\n\nMemandangkan perbahasan Belanjawan 2021 masih berlangsung, kerajaan boleh mempertimbangkan bantuan tunai bernilai RM200 hingga RM300 untuk pelajar universiti dalam kumpulan isi rumah seperti yang disebut di atas.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBantuan ini juga boleh diberikan lebih awal lagi memandangkan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Bersyarat (PKPB) telah dilanjutkan lagi sehingga 6 Disember yang menyebabkan para pelajar harus terus belajar secara dalam talian di rumah dan mereka perlu membeli bahan pembelajaran sendiri.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKedua, RM50 yang akan dikreditkan ke dalam akaun e-dompet untuk belia juga terhad kepada mereka yang berumur 18 ke 20 tahun sahaja sedangkan golongan belia yang memanfaatkannya untuk perbelanjaan harian adalah lebih daripada itu.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOleh itu, belanjawan kali ini diharapkan supaya kerajaan dapat meningkatkan peruntukan program eBelia bagi memberikan kredit e-dompet kepada populasi belia yang lebih besar.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSeperti yang diucapkan oleh menteri kewangan, \u201cGolongan belia memainkan peranan penting sebagai antara pelopor dan pengguna dalam mengadaptasi teknologi terkini.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nAkhir sekali, Belanjawan 2021 nampak positif kerana ia mengandungi inisiatif untuk menangani isu pengangguran di kalangan belia tetapi inisiatif untuk mengatasi isu \u2018underemployment\u2019 nampaknya terhad kepada sektor yang mempunyai kebergantungan yang tinggi kepada pekerja asing \u2013 insentif khas sebanyak 60 peratus daripada gaji bulanan di mana 40 peratus akan disalurkan kepada majikan manakala 20 peratus kepada pekerja tempatan yang menggantikan pekerja asing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBagaimana dengan sektor lain yang tidak terlalu bergantung pada pekerja asing tetapi dipenuhi dengan golongan muda yang berkelayakan tinggi tetapi dibayar gaji rendah? Maka, isu \u2018underemployment\u2019 ini harus dipertimbangkan secara menyeluruh.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSemua orang sedang cuba untuk terus bertahan dalam krisis ini, begitu juga dengan belia.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOleh itu, cadangan-cadangan ini harus segera direalisasikan.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNur Sofea Hasmira Azahar merupakan Penganalisis Penyelidik di EMIR Research, sebuah organisasi pemikir bebas yang fokus kepada pencernaan saranan-saranan dasar strategik berteraskan penyelidikan yang terperinci, konsisten dan menyeluruh<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n](\"https:\/\/focusmalaysia.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/thai-students.jpg\"){kind=link}