KUALA LUMPUR: The government should make available more job opportunities with fair living wages for the urban poor community to help enhance economic growth, said Federal Territories Minister, Khalid Abdul Samad.
Khalid said based on statistics, there were 24.1 million Malaysians in urban areas and 7.5 million people in rural areas.
“The government should get ready to face an increasing population and reduce any negative effects due to the concentration of people in developed areas.
“Without initiatives to create more job opportunities and enhance infrastructural development, the economy will experience slow growth,” he said.
Khalid said some urban poor groups were actually working hard with low wages. Although the wages were more than the nation’s Income Poverty Line (PGK), these groups find life a struggle.
“The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) conducted research on urban child poverty which revealed that the heads of households worked 48 hours a week compared to the national average of 47 hours.
“For those working 48 hours, they only earn RM9 for an hour compared to RM12 an hour for 47 hours,” he said during a conferemce at the Malaysian Islamic Understanding Institute (IKIM), here today.
IKIM deputy chairman, Datuk Zakaria Hashim said the increasing of cost of living has caused some to live in poverty despite rapid development,” he said.