Datuk Mahfuz Omar speaks to the reporters at Parliament December 6, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 — The figure of nearly 100,000 Malaysians to lose jobs if the Covid-19 threat persists until end of the year is just an estimation, said Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar.

He said the ministry was still gathering information is still in the midst of studying the effect of the Covid-19 situation on employment in certain sectors.

“We will know the actual number after the trade unions provide the full information through the Department of Labour (JTK) and based on the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Employment Insurance System (SIP),” he told reporters during the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) Chinese New Year celebration and Clients’ Day here today.

Several newspapers today reported Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan as saying that up to 100,000 Malaysians could lose their jobs this year if the Covid-19 infection were to persist until year-end.

Mahfuz said he had a meeting with tour bus drivers, especially those who handle tourists from China, and they were worried of losing their income due to the current Covid-19 threat.

“Although they are not being laid off yet, they have not been paid by their employers because there is no tourists in need of their service,” he said, adding that the tourism industry is the worst affected by the Covid-19 infection.

Meanwhile, Mahfuz said HRDF would develop the Learning and Training Hub (LATiH), an online portal for companies to choose relevant training programmes for their respective company needs. — Bernama