THE Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) has urged the Federal Government to give a wage subsidy to the tourism and hospitality industry.
ATAP chairman Ch’ng Huck Theng said the wage subsidy is crucial for the tourism and hospitality industry to implement the RM1,500 minimum wage policy as set by the Federal Government.
Ch’ng said although the Federal Government, through Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, had recently announced that the RM1,500 minimum wage policy would not apply to the tourism and hospitality industry, ATAP opined that such announcement was not practical.
The implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage rate comes into effect on May 1 but several employment sectors, including informal sector, would be given flexibility by the Federal Government.
Among them are those earning income doing odd jobs, companies employing less than five workers and those that are facing huge losses like the hospitality and tourism sectors.
“Yes, this sector (tourism and hospitality) is still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are already not having enough staff.
“And with such announcement, the job seekers will prioritise sector or industry that can offer them RM1,500 minimum wage. Hence, it will be a big loss to us in this industry.
“Thus, what we suggest is to implement the RM1,500 minimum wage policy to all sectors but for the tourism and hospitality industry, the Government should give us a wage subsidy at least for a year.
“If this can be implemented, it will give us a huge boost to compete with other sectors in terms of attracting human talent to work in the tourism and hospitality industry.
“After all, we know very well that the tourism and hospitality industry will bounce back to be one of the forefront revenue earners in the next few years.
“But as of now, we are the last to be helped, especially in the last two years. So, be fair to us,” Ch’ng said during his visit to the Penang Career Expo: ‘Ekspo Jom Cari Kerja’ at Ixora Hotel in Prai today.
Also present were state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) chief executive officer Ashwin Gunasekeran and Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter vice-chairman Kevin Cheah.
Yeoh also echoed Ch’ng’s concerns over this matter.
“As we know, the tourism and hospitality industry is the first industry to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the last to recover.
“Although our country’s international borders have reopened since April 1, the tourism and hospitality industry needs at least two to three years to return to normalcy.
“Thus, the Federal Government should continue to provide the necessary assistance such as wage subsidy, moratorium and loan support to this industry to help them sustain their operations,” he said.
Speaking about the one-day career expo, Yeoh said it was the second expo of the series to be held.
“The Penang Career Expo: ‘Ekspo Jom Cari Kerja’ is the state government initiative through PCEB, and supported by MAH, ATAP, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) and Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Attractions (Matfa).
“The purpose of the expo is to provide a platform for job seekers and talent scouts to meet and reconnect to generate extra job prospects in the tourism industry.
“This career expo also is designed to address the challenges of career search in this challenging era from the perspectives of both job seekers and potential employers.
“Penang is also the very first state to conduct a tourism and hospitality career expo, and is now also looking forward to collaborate with educational institutions and universities to raise awareness among the youths on employment opportunities in the state, especially in tourism and hospitality industry,” he added.
Yeoh added that the first expo, which was held at St Giles Wembley Hotel on April 9, had received a positive response from the public and key industry players.
“Some of the organisations also are even ready to provide educational platforms for candidates, such as training for fresh graduates or inexperienced individuals, and refresher courses for those returning to the industry.
“And we hope we can see the same response as well for today,” he said.
Story and pix by Riadz Akmal