30th September 2026 - 5 min read
There are more than 400,000 job vacancies on MYFutureJobs, the free job portal run by the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), according to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan.
He shared the update with reporters in Kota Bharu on 29 September, as the government prepares for workers who could lose their jobs because of the conflict in West Asia. MYFutureJobs is also where retrenched workers sign up to claim PERKESO’s job loss payments, and one of those payments doubles for job losses from 1 October 2026.
Ramanan said the West Asian conflict has had little effect on jobs in Malaysia so far, and there’s nothing unusual happening in the job market. However, he expects some job losses if the conflict carries on, because some industries may not be able to operate as usual. That could mean retrenchment, where companies cut staff, or contracts that aren’t renewed when they end.
He said PERKESO will help workers who lose their jobs, based on each person’s eligibility, and that Malaysians will get priority for the jobs available. He didn’t name the industries most at risk, but in July he said PERKESO had recorded 42,807 job losses as of 12 June 2026. Manufacturing had the most, at 20.7% of cases.
If you’re looking for a job, MYFutureJobs do a lot of the searching for you. Once you’ve set up a profile, the portal suggests jobs that match your skills, work experience, education, and preferred location. Jobseekers can also search by the type of job they want and see openings nearby.
PERKESO offers free help on the portal too. It can build a resume, send alerts about career fairs, and connect jobseekers with a career counsellor or a PERKESO officer who can help with the search.
To give Malaysians the first chance at jobs, employers who want to hire a non-citizen must first advertise the job on MYFutureJobs for at least seven days. The ad must show the actual salary, including basic pay and any allowances. A few roles are exempt, such as top management positions and jobs paying RM15,000 a month or more.
So when you browse MYFutureJobs, some ads will show exactly how much the job pays, which makes it easier to compare offers before you apply. Employers who only hire Malaysians don’t have to follow this rule, though, so not every listing will show a salary.
Workers who lose their jobs can claim payments from PERKESO’s Employment Insurance System (EIS) while they look for new work. To claim, they must register on MYFutureJobs, where PERKESO officers help match them with suitable jobs.
Claims must be made within 60 days of losing a job, and the job loss has to be one that EIS covers, such as retrenchment, a company closing down, or accepting a package an employer offers to leave. Resigning by choice usually doesn’t qualify. Claimants also need enough monthly EIS contributions, which are the small deductions marked EIS or SIP on a payslip.
EIS pays a monthly Job Search Allowance (JSA) for up to six months, based on the average monthly salary before the job loss. It pays 80% of that salary in the first month and 50% in the second. After that, it pays 40% in the third and fourth months, and 30% in the fifth and sixth.
Anyone who starts a new job before the six months end also gets a one-off Early Re-employment Allowance, based on the JSA they didn’t use. For job losses from 1 October 2026, this allowance goes up from 25% to 50% of the unused JSA.
Take someone who earned RM3,000 a month and started a new job after receiving two months of JSA.
| Payment | Before 1 October 2026 | From 1 October 2026 |
| JSA received in months 1 and 2 | RM3,900 | RM3,900 |
| Unused JSA from months 3 to 6 | RM4,200 | RM4,200 |
| Early Re-employment Allowance | RM1,050 | RM2,100 |
Under the new rule, this person gets RM2,100 on top of their new salary, double the RM1,050 they’d have received before. These amounts are our own calculation using PERKESO’s JSA rates, and your actual payout depends on your salary and PERKESO’s approval.
The JSA also gets smaller each month, so savings have to cover more of the bills the longer someone is out of work. In the RinggitPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey 2025, only 27% of middle-income earners (those earning RM5,000 to RM10,000 a month) said they could last more than six months without income, down from 32% in 2024.
To register, go to the MYFutureJobs website, choose to sign in as a jobseeker, and register as a first-time user with your email address, IC number, and a password. Adding your skills, work history, and preferred work area afterwards helps the portal suggest better matches.
If you’ve already lost your job, you can apply for EIS on the PERKESO website or at any PERKESO office. Each allowance has its own rules, and you can read up on how to claim EIS benefits before applying.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for the latest money tips and updates.
As a creative content writer, Eloise has covered finance, business, lifestyle topics, and even moonlights as a singer-songwriter outside of RinggitPlus. Her current interests are learning the best ways to optimise spending and credit card hacks to gain more airline miles.
Comments (0)