Almost 300,000 gig workers now actively contributing to PERKESO’s Lindung Kendiri scheme, says deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 298,827 gig workers are now actively contributing to PERKESO under the Lindung Kendiri scheme as of Nov 21, signalling a sharp rise in social protection coverage for the rapidly growing sector, says Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad.

The Deputy Human Resources Minister said the ministry’s principle is clear – gig workers must receive equal access to social protection similar to formal employees.

“As a matter of principle, the ministry through PERKESO wants every gig worker in this country to enjoy equal social protection rights as formal workers.

“Based on PERKESO’s statistics, 298,827 gig workers are actively contributing under Lindung Kendiri,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 25).

Abdul Rahman said one of the most important steps to strengthen compliance was the Gig Workers Bill 2025, which would make PERKESO contributions mandatory and automatically deducted by platform providers.

Under the Bill, he said platform companies would be required to submit gig worker information to PERKESO and implement an automated deduction mechanism through their digital intermediary systems.

“This method means gig workers no longer have to manage their contributions manually, platform providers are not burdened with extra administrative work and PERKESO can ensure a more transparent collection of contributions,” he added.

The mandatory requirement will apply to goods delivery, food delivery, passenger transport and hawker-related platforms.

He also said that the Employment Insurance System (SIP) has yet to be extended to gig workers, as the scheme currently falls under Act 800, which covers only conventional employees.

“PERKESO continues to study the feasibility of extending SIP or a similar scheme to gig workers from time to time,” Abdul Rahman said.