SWWS welcomes the Government’s target of 59% of women to be in the workforce by 2020 as stated by the Prime Minister at the UN this week, to help lift women out of poverty.  Gaining employment is a crucial step but so is ensuring that jobs are accessible and give adequate pay. 

At  SWWS’s recent forum on Women, Jobs and Low Pay, it was evident that many women who wanted work had difficulty obtaining jobs due to lack of public transport and affordable child care.  

“This was made very clear by our speaker Yong Li Na, the Director of Affirmative, an employment agency focusing on helping women find work and move away from low paid jobs,” stated Ann Teo,  the organizing chairwoman.  

“In the case studies presented the lack of public transport curtailed women’s chances of employment.  For instance, one highly populated housing area in Kuching did not even have a bus service – in other areas people reported waiting 3 hours.” 

Consequently those who find work usually have to use their hard earned cash to fund private transport, including paying petrol costs if they are the fortunate ones who can use a relative’s cars or join a car pool.  Only by having an affordable, extensive and effective public transport system will more women from poorer households be able to seek employment.

For women in low paid jobs, the cost of child care also takes a big chunk of their income and incurs more transportation costs making it hard for them to live on what is left.  Work may only mean moving from hard core to the category of poor.  To progress beyond that affordable child care and a living wage is required.

Although the implementation of the minimum wage has helped, salaries remain low for both women and men. 

Andrew Lo, the Executive Secretary of the MTUC, told the forum participants that the medium monthly wage in Malaysia is only RM1,842 so half of the working population are earning substantially below the average pay stated in 2012 to be @RM5,000. This is connected to the wide disparity in income in Malaysia which is ranked the third highest in Asia whilst we are ranked the second highest for household debt.

SWWS therefore calls on all relevant parties to not only address the number of women in the workforce but the struggle many Malaysians in less paid jobs face to meet their basic needs.  It was sad to note that in Yong’s case study a couple who were both working could only afford to buy a much needed fridge when they received BRIM.

At the forum the range of programmes initiated by the Government was outlined by Mr Bruno Yong, Senior Assistant Director in the Sarawak Labour Department, including  AZAM.  The Department also offers a service to those seeking employment so it is important that women looking for work register with them and also report to the Department any employers who do not pay them their statutory rights such as the minimum wage and EPF/SocSo contributions or break the law by discriminating against women.

From the statistics he presented it was apparent that women were more equally represented in the professional category of jobs – their participation being substantially less for the top jobs and those that were semi-skilled.  It is the women in these lower categories who need the most attention if poverty is to be reduced. 

Panelists noted that what stops many women entering the work-force is the difficulty of achieving a family –work balance in the current employment market. SWWS would like to see this change so both mothers and fathers can earn and care for the family.  More part-time jobs that link to school hours would be a help but as the chairwoman, Prof Hew Cheng Sim, noted women can be vulnerable when working part-time.   To correct this SWWS would like to see the rights of part-time workers protected by extending the Employment (Amendment) Act 2012 to Sarawak and for child care facilities to be universally available so more women can take up full-time employment.  

With such measures  the Government’s aspiration to achieve an increase in the number of women working and moving out of poverty has more chance of success. 

SWWS in due course will be raising a range of recommendations arising from our Women Calling for Change series of forums . Women who missed the last forum on Women, Jobs and Low Pay but wish to share experience and ideas on the topic  can contact SWWS by email info@sarswws.org or phoning our drop-in centre.