KUCHING, March 22: Grab Malaysia is offering extra benefits in the form of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions for food delivery riders and e-hailing drivers who contribute to i-Saraan beginning Sept 1, 2021, according to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
Saravanan responded to Senator Robert Lau at the fifth session of the 14th Parliament (Oral Answer Session) yesterday when he asked him to outline the government’s plan for developing a contribution system to the EPF for Grab, Foodpanda and other companies to ensure that they have enough savings to cover their retirement.
“According to information obtained from the Ministry of Finance, EPF has developed the i-Saraan programme in order to encourage more workers from the informal sector, including gig economy workers, to save for retirement.
“It is a voluntary contribution programme open to all categories of informal workers and those without a fixed income under the age of 55, with a maximum annual contribution of RM60,000,” he said.
He went on to say that the Government contributes 15 per cent of members’ contributions as an incentive, up to a maximum of RM250 per year.
“The i-Saraan programme had 356,000 registered members as of Sept 30, 2021,” Saravanan said.
Additionally, the Human Resources Minister stated that EPF has taken proactive measures by hosting engagement sessions with platform provider companies, including the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between EPF and Grab Malaysia to encourage fellow drivers and riders to save for retirement.
“Simultaneously, EPF actively advertises on mass media and social media, as well as on occasion, to raise public awareness and knowledge of the i-Saraan programme,” he added. — DayakDaily
