REFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTION FOR PLATFORM WORKERS IN MALAYSIA’S DIGITAL LABOUR PLATFORMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumlj.v33i1.1017Keywords:
Social Security, Platform Worker, Gig Worker, Digital Labour Platform, Digital EconomyAbstract
Digital labour platforms in Malaysia have seen rapid growth, providing
flexible employment options for workers across sectors. However,
platform workers lack social security protection while performing their
work due to their informal employment status. The current study
explores the existing regulatory framework for social security protection
in Malaysia and the issues faced by platform workers. It also highlights
improvements that should be made to the Employment Act 1955 and the
Employee Social Security Act 1969. The study employs qualitative
method, in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted with
platform workers and relevant authorities, in order to get their views indepth
on issues surrounding social security protection in digital labour
platforms. The findings reveal that platform workers are susceptible to
work-related injuries without appropriate compensation and retirement
benefits due to gaps in the current legal framework. This study provides
valuable insights for policymakers in devising social security protection
for platform workers. The paper recommends the inclusion of ‘platform
worker’ and ‘gig worker’ as employees under section 2 of the
Employment Act 1955.
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