Gig Workers Bill makes M'sia a global pioneer - council

The Gig Workers Bill 2025 passed by Parliament on Thursday will offer over a million gig workers in the country adequate coverage they have never enjoyed previously.

Malaysian Gig Economic Council (MyGig) chairperson Sharkar Shamsudin said the bill is an important milestone in ensuring the welfare and rights of gig workers, especially in e-hailing and p-hailing sectors.

“One of the biggest issues is income. Gig workers didn’t get complete protection previously. With this bill, they have a ray of hope,” he said during an interview on Bernama Radio’s “Reaksi RUU Pekerja Gig 2025: Melindungi Hak, Memperkasa Masa Depan” programme.

The bill provides specific guidelines to protect gig workers, balance the interests of digital platform providers and set up a Malaysian Gig Economy Commission as a supervisory body to ensure the law will be enforced effectively.

He also pointed out that Malaysia is the first country to introduce a specific bill for gig workers, as other countries only implemented general rules.

“Although we know there are things to improve, what’s important is that we start something to move towards the future. Malaysia is the first country to specifically mention a Gig Workers Bill,” Sharkar said.

According to him, the e-hailing and p-hailing industries had previously faced various challenges involving many ministries and issues such as payment rates, licences and digital platform operation structures without clear guidelines.

With the new Act, concerned ministries can now have the opportunity to discuss and draft more effective solutions, he said.

Sharkar expressed his confidence that the setting up of the Malaysian Gig Economy Commission would strengthen the sector’s ecosystem, which is expected to be an important contributor to the country’s workforce in the future.

- Bernama

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