Business / 30 Sept 2026
The Gig Workers Act 2025 came into force on 31 March 2026. It now protects more than 1.6 million Malaysians. If your business hires part-timers through a platform, two things matter most.
Job details, scope of work, responsibilities, and any specific requirements should be clearly communicated through the platform job posting before the gig worker accepts the job. This should include what the gig worker is expected to do, any relevant working conditions, skills or equipment required, and any important instructions or restrictions.
This ensures that the gig worker understands the nature and expectations of the job upfront and can make an informed decision on whether they are able and willing to perform the work before accepting it.
SOCSO contributions are mandatory for gig workers and are set at 1.25% under the Gig Workers (Social Security) Regulations 2026. These contributions provide gig workers with social security protection while performing gig work through the platform. Businesses should therefore take this mandatory 1.25% SOCSO contribution into account when planning and pricing their shifts, as it forms part of the overall cost of engaging gig workers.
On a typical RM100 shift, the contribution works out to RM1.25. Across a month of shifts it adds up, so it is best to consider it within your budget to build a highly engaged pool of gig workers.
GoGet advocates for gig work to provide more than just immediate income — it should also contribute towards long-term financial security for gig workers.
In 2022 we became the first gig platform in Malaysia to link directly with EPF, the national retirement savings fund. That made it easier for gig workers to save for retirement.
The government has since gone further. EPF’s i-Saraan scheme lets self-employed and gig workers contribute voluntarily and receive a government match. Under Budget 2026 that match rises to as much as RM600 a year, capped at RM6,000 over a lifetime.
Three things follow if you hire part-timers.
First, some context on why flexible hiring has grown. Malaysia’s labour market is tight. Unemployment has held at around 3% through 2026, close to a 14-year low. Filling short shifts is harder than it used to be.
Some businesses still hire casual workers directly to cope. A WhatsApp group, cash at the end of the job, no contract, no records. That approach now carries real compliance risk.
Using a gig platform makes this simpler. The platform registers the workers, keeps the records, and handles the contributions and any disputes. Your business gets a structured, compliant way to hire.
GoGet has 400,000+ verified part-timers across every state in Malaysia, and has helped more than 10,000 businesses.
A supplier may look cheaper because their quote leaves out the required contributions. That does not make them cheaper. It means the cost does not include contributions.
When you compare providers, ask three questions.
Are the required contributions included in this price?
Who pays them to PERKESO?
Can you show proof that it has been done?
The answers tell you the true cost. They also tell you whether your business is properly protected.
Our own data shows this pattern clearly.
On GoGet, experienced part-timers turn up 93% of the time. By experience we mean a tight group: workers with 50 or more hours on the platform and a job completion rate above 90%.
Why does this matter? When workers are treated fairly and paid on time with protection, they stay. Staying lets them build experience, a work record, savings, and access to better jobs. That gives them a reason to keep showing up.
You can see it in the work itself. One financial services client used GoGet to process more than 1.25 million data entries over five months, running up to 80 GoGetters a day. The team completed 98% of the work with an error rate under 1%.
Better protection helps workers build a future. Workers who can build a future are the ones who stay, grow and become reliable for your business.
Show-up rate is the number one worry employers have about flexible labour. Give people something worth staying for.
This is an important first step, and we are only six months in. As the system matures, two things can take it further.
PERKESO should consider a social protection product designed for gig work. Instead of adapting a yearly insurance model, cover could be structured per transaction, per day, or per hour worked.
That would fit the reality far better. A gig worker may work across different platforms, different businesses and different types of jobs in a single year.
Government-funded training should connect more directly to real jobs.
Workers who finish approved training — through HRD Corp, eLATIH, TVET or similar programmes — could carry a verified badge on their gig profile. Businesses could then spot trained workers straight away.
HRD Corp is the national body that funds workplace training. Employers pay into it through a levy based on their payroll. eLATIH is HRD Corp’s free online learning platform. TVET means technical and vocational education and training — hands-on skills like welding, logistics or food handling.
We would go further. Employers should be allowed to use their HRD levy to train gig workers for real job openings. Workers gain practical experience first, and some go on to permanent roles.
That creates a simple pathway:
Train → Get Verified → Gain Experience → Get Better Jobs
It would also give the government a clear way to measure something important. Does the training actually lead to jobs and higher income?
Malaysia passed this law before most of the region did. That is worth being proud of. The work now is to keep building on it.
Written by Francesca Chia, Co-Founder and CEO of GoGet, a Malaysian gig workforce platform connecting businesses with verified, quality part-timers. She sits on Malaysia’s National Employment Council and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. linkedin.com/in/francescachia/
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