KUALA LUMPUR: JobStreet Malaysia has introduced the SME Incentive Helpdesk to help businesses recover from the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This initiative, among others, aims to educate businesses that may be confused about the various business financial aid and grant opportunities available to them via financial institutions and various other government aid initiatives.
Managing Director Vic Sithasanan said that despite most restrictions under the Movement Control Order (MCO) being lifted, the reality today is that numerous businesses continue to face challenging times.
"We have made it our mission to help rebuild the economy and to do whatever we can to help businesses recover within today's 'never normal' environment," said Vic in a statement today.
"As SMEs form the cornerstone of the Malaysian economy, this community must be firing on all cylinders again," he said.
According to the SME Association of Malaysia, SMEs represent 97.2 per cent of overall business establishments throughout the country.
Its national secretary-general Chin Chee Seong said the Movement Control Order (MCO) had brought the small and medium enterprise (SME) community to its knees due to pandemic-induced restrictions and hindrances.
"Now that Malaysia is on the road to economic recovery, it is an opportune time also to nurture back to health SMEs that the pandemic had badly bruised," he said.
He lauded JobStreet's SME Incentive Helpdesk initiative and anticipated the launch of additional industry initiatives to aid SMEs in recovering from the pandemic.
The SME Incentive Helpdesk initiative enables businesses to seek information on available incentives that are relevant to them and the application processes involved and help them benefit from open hiring and training incentives.
Meanwhile, JobStreet's collaboration with Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) is an effort to enable exclusive training incentives to encourage companies to hire new talents.
This programme is delivered through HRD Corp Placement Centre (HPC), a one-stop virtual portal that provides employment and income-generating opportunities for all Malaysians.
It will create new job opportunities by helping companies manage total hiring and onboarding costs at a critical juncture in their business continuity and survival.
Employers can claim up to RM3,600 in on-the-job training allowances under this initiative, which helps reduce the total cost of hiring new talent, particularly unemployed graduates and school leavers.
This incentive is available exclusively for hires made via the JobStreet platform.
Furthermore, there is no limit to the number of new hires for employers to submit their claims.
"The SME Incentive Helpdesk epitomises our commitment of 'standing by our SMEs' and helping them get through this trying period," said Vic.
JobStreet, Malaysia's largest employment platform with the highest number of job postings online, is committed to creating opportunities for SMEs.