Grab Malaysia’s initiative to empower economy

PETALING JAYA: Grab Malaysia aims to create economic empowerment with its #Techuntuksemua programme, as it continues to work closely with the government, community and industry partners to achieve this goal.

Commenting in a statement, Grab Malaysia managing director Sean Goh said the #Techuntuksemua programme was presented to the National Employment Council last Friday and includes three key thrusts to empower more people to access opportunities from the digital economy.

The first thrust is to enable equal access for persons with disabilities (PWDS), said Goh.

“We remain especially focused on creating equal opportunities for those whose circumstances make it harder to find alternative or additional income, such as PWDS.”

Goh emphasised that PWDS faced more hurdles to access the licences required to participate in the digital economy.

“We hope to work with the Transport Ministry, as well as Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to ensure our community of PWDS could gain accessible means to independently earn an income.”

The second thrust is to simplify regulatory requirements to access flexible earning opportunities, said Goh.

“Many Malaysians earn a flexible, supplementary income today via the digital economy.

“However, there are many requirements to fulfil before starting to earn an income. We plan to work with our nation to streamline regulations and make it more seamless than ever for Malaysians to access flexible, supplementary income in the gig economy.”

By doing this, Goh said Grab Malaysia hopes to create 35,000 income opportunities by the end of this year.

The final thrust is to empower traditional businesses to participate in the digital economy, said Goh.

“We have started taking small steps towards serving and protecting the livelihoods of our broader community of everyday entrepreneurs. With government support, we hope to further enable businesses across Malaysia, from mom-and-pop stores, wet market traders to food court hawkers, to participate in the digital economy.

“We will continue to invest in creating awareness and visibility for local entrepreneurs and to equip them with the tools to thrive in the digital economy.”

As a homegrown company, Goh said Grab Malaysia’s mission is to create economic empowerment for everyone.

“We are committed to putting in the hard work alongside our government, community and industry partners to further enable and empower businesses, gig workers and all Malaysians,” he said.