>KUALA LUMPUR: On the face of it, news that 60 housewives have snagged up all the outsourced jobs from factories in Klang may not be considered the most exciting of stories. Yet, the Human Resources Ministry is hoping that it bodes well for its grand plans of providing homemakers the chance to make some extra money, and contribute to the nation's workforce from the comfort of their living rooms.
"We have got about five to six million women who are not able to work full time because of the demands and commitments in their homes.
"We are trying to see how we can utilise their skills and knowledge by creating jobs in and around the home," said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam after launching Winfield College's School of Information Technology here yesterday.
Dr Subramaniam said there were two kinds of opportunities available for housewives.
One is the low-level openings where the ministry is looking at transferring jobs from factories into homes, where housewives can work in a comfortable and calm environment, and at the same time, keep up with their domestic responsibilities.
A recently concluded project in Klang saw the involvement of 60 housewives.
"They are very happy now because they are working from home and making RM800 a month."
Dr Subramaniam said there was a great demand for such jobs, but the main challenge was getting more factories on board.
Another sector the ministry is looking at is professional administrators or secretarial work.
"They can operate from home, if their bosses don't mind.
"With modern technology and communication tools, it can be done."
He added that Malaysia had reached a stage where most people above the age of 30 were highly trainable.
"Most of them have had 11 years of schooling and can handle languages and figures relatively well."
