KUALA LUMPUR: The government targets 500,000 housewives nationwide to be covered under the social security insurance scheme by the end of the year, says Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar.
He said that under the Housewives’ Social Security Scheme (SKSSR), which began on Dec 1 last year, more than three million housewives will be covered under the scheme that provides compensation should they be injured or disabled when managing households.
Sivakumar said that the next-of-kin of housewives under the scheme would also receive survivors’ pension and funeral benefits.
He said this at the launch of the SKSSR by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here Saturday (Feb 11).
In his speech, Sivakumar said that as of Jan 31, the number of housewives who have contributed to the scheme totalled 141,144.
“We aim to reach a target of 500,000 housewives as contributors for the scheme by the end of this year. Of the current total, 135,281 are housewives who are registered with e-Kasih and contributed as i-Suri KWSP.
"Their contributions to the SKSSR were government-sponsored for one year under the 2022 Budget,” said Sivakumar.
He said the scheme is extended to housewives aged 55 years and below, adding that a housewife is defined as a woman whether married or unmarried, who manages the household on a full-time or part-time basis, including a wife, mother, divorcee, widow or a single mother.
“With only a lump sum of RM120 contribution for a period of 12 months, paid in advance, the housewife under the scheme will receive various benefits such as permanent disablement benefits, medical benefits, morbid allowance, physical rehabilitation or dialysis facilities, survivors’ pension and funeral benefits,” said Sivakumar.
The SKSSR was implemented by the Human Resources Ministry on Dec 1 under the Housewives’ Social Security Act 2022, aimed at providing social security protection to housewives against domestic accidents and invalidity while managing the household.
Malaysia is the first country in this region and fourth in the world which offers such a social protection scheme for housewives.
At the same event, the Prime Minister also launched the MyFutureJobs Career Carnival 2023.
Sivakumar said that the ministry is committed to creating more quality jobs for local talents.
“As of Dec 31, 2022, of the 879,601 job seekers who registered with the MYFutureJobs, more than 294,044 were successfully placed in new jobs,” said Sivakumar.
