Workers who have been retrenched have been urged to register themselves on Job Malaysia portal to ensure they do not miss out on job opportunities.

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Ismail Abdul Mutallib said the information of those registered with the portal will be channelled to relevant agencies and the private sector.

He said Job Malaysia statistics show that in 2012, a total of 658 employees were retrenched and 87 were given job placements.

In 2013, he said 1,283 workers were given job placements. A total of 330 workers were lain off in that year.

Replying to a question from Kuala Langat MP Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid at the Parliament today, he said in 2014 813 workers were registered while 408 were laid off.

“In 2015, 733 workers were laid off while 1,360 were registered,” he added.

He said the Labour Department has been assisting those retrenched by advising them on jobs available and inviting them for programmes organised by the department.

“They are also given training to prepare them for the current job demands,” he added.

He said his ministry had also cautioned employers and companies against laying off workers at such an economic situation today.

“Other measures include freezing the intake for new staff except in critical fields which will ensure existing workers are not laid off. Apart from that, limit overtime to avoid incurring higher operational costs,” he added.

He said employers have also been advised to reduce shifts and daily working hours and instead conduct re-training and identify alternative jobs.

He said employers can opt for temporary retrenchment or reduce salaries as the last measure.