If you’ve lost your job due to the Covid-19 crisis, you could claim from the Employment Insurance System (EIS) to help you get back on your feet – but make sure you apply within 60 days of losing your job.

All private sector workers who make at least RM30 a month are automatically registered and contribute to the EIS, which is managed by the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO/Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial – Perkeso).

The main benefit of EIS is a job search allowance, which is a monthly allowance you can get for up to six months (assuming you cannot find a new job within six months). Each month, you will receive the allowance as a percentage of your last drawn salary. The allowance starts at 80% of your salary in the first month and reduces in the following months.

If your salary was RM2,500 before you lost your job, this is how much you could get:

Month	Percentage of salary	Allowance received
First	80%	RM2,000
Second	50%	RM1,250
Third	40%	RM1,000
Fourth	40%	RM1,000
Fifth	30%	RM750
Sixth	30%	RM750

Perkeso says they will process applications within seven days and release payments for approved applications within another seven days.

Note that the maximum salary for the allowance is RM4,000, which is the maximum salary for EIS contributions. If you earned anything more than RM4,000 a month, you would still have contributed to EIS and can get EIS benefits, but your contributions and benefits will only be based on the RM4,000 salary limit.

You can visit Perkeso’s website for its calculations of EIS benefits and contributions.

Who is covered by EIS?

What does EIS cover?

Malaysian citizens or permanent residents
Aged 18-60 years (except those who are 57 years and above who have never contributed to the EIS before turning that age – these workers are not covered by the EIS)
Working in the private sector (except those who work in statutory bodies, local authorities, public and state services, as domestic servants and the self-employed)
Working based on Contract of Service

Normal retrenchment /redundancy
VSS/MSS (Voluntary/Mutual Separation Scheme)
Closure of company, including due to bankruptcy or natural disasters
Resignation due to company breaking the employment contract, sexual harassment or threats made in the workplace or being ordered to perform dangerous duties that are not within the job scope

The following are not covered by EIS:

Dismissal due to employee misconduct
Voluntary resignation
Retirement
The expiry of a fixed-term contract (includes termination of the contract with no conditions, agreed by employer and employee or the completion of the project stated in the contract)

What else can you get from EIS?

Apart from the job search allowance, EIS can also give you:

Reduced income allowance: A one-off payment calculated as a percentage of your monthly salary
Training fee: Up to RM4,000 for vocational training for up to 6 months
Training allowance: A monthly payment of up to RM20 for each training day for up to 6 months
Early re-employment allowance: A one-off payment to those who get the job search allowance and have been able to find work while still receiving their allowance. Recipients can get 25% of the job search allowance they were supposed to receive

Under the EIS, Perkeso also provides:

Re-employment placement programme
Career counselling

How do you claim for EIS?

You can go to any of Perkeso’s offices or log on the EIS portal. You will need:

A copy of your IC
Proof of Loss of Employment (LOE), e.g. a termination letter
A copy of your bank account information
Pay slips for the last six months

You must also meet the following conditions:

Apply within 60 days of losing your job
Perkeso’s contributions requirements – This varies so it is best to check with them
Lost employment due to the reasons covered under EIS

Additional assistance

In addition to the EIS, Perkeso now also provides other aid in response to Covid-19. These include the Employment Retention Programme (ERP), which gives employers RM600 for each worker put on no-pay leave, available every month for up to six months. As the aid will be paid to employers who must then pass it on to affected employees, employers must apply for the programme. More information on the ERP is available here.

Perkeso also provides SIP Plus 600, temporary payments of RM600 per month for up to three months. The benefit is for workers who have lost their jobs and are registered with EIS but do not meet certain requirements. Workers can apply here.

We’re definitely living in tough times, so if you’ve lost your job and haven’t gotten these benefits yet, do check for help you could get from Perkeso. They can be emailed on perkeso@perkeso.gov.my. Due to the movement restrictions, they’ve also provided a list of mobile numbers of their customer service representatives for you to reach them.