GEORGE TOWN (Nov 3): The implementation of a 2% Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution rate for both employers and non-citizen employees is a fair and balanced step aimed at ensuring social justice while maintaining Malaysia\u2019s international reputation, according to Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.<\/p>\n
He said the move,\u00a0which came into effect last month,\u00a0is in line with international labour standards, including those set by the International Labour Organization, and is essential to upholding Malaysia\u2019s credibility in the global market.<\/p>\n
Sim pointed out that the 2% contribution scheme provides three key benefits, namely reducing the outflow of foreign currency\u00a0estimated at around RM1 billion annually,\u00a0minimising the risk of workers absconding from their employers, and creating an emergency savings fund for foreign workers while they are in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis contribution is not a retirement scheme like that for local workers. It is a savings fund that can be withdrawn when they return to their home countries, and it can also be used for emergencies, including in cases of death,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2% is fixed. While it may seem small compared to the over 10% contributed by Malaysian workers, it at least provides basic social protection for foreign employees,\u201d he said during the \u2018Morning Talk with the Human Resources Minister\u2019 session at the Tax Seminar on Budget 2026 here on Monday.<\/p>\n
Sim clarified that although the policy does not fall directly under his ministry,\u00a0as the EPF is administered by the Ministry of Finance,\u00a0he wished to correct public misconceptions about its purpose.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the policy strikes a balance between economic and social objectives, while also signalling that Malaysia is committed to protecting workers\u2019 rights and ensuring ethical governance in managing its foreign labour market.<\/p>\n
\u201cFundamentally, this is the right thing to do. Legally, it aligns with international labour regulations, and practically, it delivers immediate benefits to the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The one-day seminar was organised by Grant Thornton and attended by more than 260\u00a0participants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GEORGE TOWN (Nov 3): The implementation of a 2% Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution rate for both employers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[138,246,111,139,69,244,245],"class_list":{"0":"post-116687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-finance","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz","13":"tag-personal-finance","14":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}