Good News for Employers: Perkeso’s RM10,000 Vacancy-Reporting Fine Just Got a Major Rethink

If you run a business in Malaysia, here’s a compliance update worth bookmarking.

The government has revised the penalty structure for employers who fail to report job vacancies to the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) — and it’s a welcome shift for small and mid-sized businesses.

What Changed

Under the original proposal, employers who didn’t notify Perkeso of a job vacancy or newly created position before hiring could be fined up to RM10,000, flat, regardless of whether it was a first-time slip-up or a repeat offence. That flat-fine version of the Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Dewan Rakyat in December 2025.

By the time the Bill reached the Dewan Negara in March this year, it looked quite different. Following feedback from employers, business associations, and other stakeholders — many of whom felt a RM10,000 penalty was disproportionate for a first, purely administrative offence — the upper house amended the Bill to introduce a progressive, tiered fine structure instead:

  • First offence: fine of up to RM1,000
  • Second offence: fine of up to RM3,000
  • Third offence and beyond: fine of up to RM5,000

Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, who tabled the amendment, said the Cabinet agreed in late February that the penalty structure should scale with how often an employer offends, rather than applying the same maximum fine across the board.

Why It Matters, Especially for MSMEs

According to the ministry, much of the pushback came specifically from micro, small, and medium enterprises — businesses that felt a flat RM10,000 fine could pose a real financial strain, especially for something as easily overlooked as a vacancy-notification filing.

The amendment doesn’t remove the obligation itself. Employers are still legally required to notify Perkeso in writing before recruiting for a vacant or newly created position, under Section 45F of the Employment Insurance System Act. What’s changed is how proportionate the consequence is if that obligation is missed — particularly the first time.

As Khairul Firdaus put it, the intent is to strike a balance: keep the law’s enforcement power intact, while giving employers room to correct course without a disproportionately heavy first strike. The ministry has said it expects this more graduated approach to encourage voluntary compliance over time, rather than relying purely on the threat of a large fine.

What This Means for Your Business

If you’re a business owner — especially if you’re running or planning to set up a Sdn. Bhd. — this is a useful reminder that vacancy reporting to Perkeso isn’t just a bureaucratic formality. It’s an active legal obligation with real, enforceable penalties attached, even if those penalties are now more forgiving for first-time lapses.

The businesses that tend to avoid these issues altogether are usually the ones with a clear compliance calendar in place — knowing exactly which filings, notifications, and deadlines apply to their company, and when.

This is exactly the kind of ongoing compliance support we help our clients with, from incorporation through to the day-to-day obligations that come after.

This article is for general informational purposes and reflects details reported by the New Straits Times as of the publication date. It is not legal advice. For guidance specific to your company’s situation, we recommend consulting directly with us or a qualified professional.

Source: New Straits Times, “Govt drops RM10,000 fine for unreported job vacancies, introduces tiered penalty”


好消息：社险局未申报职缺罚款不再是”一刀切”1万令吉

如果您在马来西亚经营公司，这则合规资讯值得您收藏。

政府修订了雇主未向社会保险机构（PERKESO）申报职位空缺的罚款方式——这对中小型企业来说是个好消息。

修法内容

根据原本的《2025年就业保险制度（修正）法案》，雇主若在招聘前未通知社险局有关职位空缺或新增职位，最高可被罚款1万令吉，无论是首次违规还是屡次违规，罚款上限一致。这项设有统一顶格罚款的法案版本已于2025年12月获下议院通过。

然而，当法案在今年3月提呈上议院时，内容已有所不同。人力资源部在收到雇主、商业组织及其他利益相关者的反馈后——许多人认为，对于首次违规、纯属行政疏忽的情况，1万令吉的罚款过于严苛——上议院对法案作出修正，改为采用累进式阶梯罚款制度：

  • 首次违规： 罚款不超过1000令吉
  • 第二次违规： 罚款不超过3000令吉
  • 第三次及以上违规： 罚款不超过5000令吉

人资部副部长拿督凯鲁菲道斯在提呈修正案时表示，内阁已于2月底同意，罚款结构应根据雇主违规的次数而调整，而非一律采用相同的最高罚款额。

为何这对中小微型企业尤为重要

人资部指出，反馈意见很大一部分来自中小微型企业（MSME）——它们认为，对于像职缺申报这类容易被忽略的行政事项，1万令吉的顶格罚款可能造成实质的财务压力。

需要强调的是，此次修正并未取消申报义务本身。根据《就业保险制度法令》第45F条文，雇主在招聘任何空缺或新增职位前，仍必须以书面形式通知社险局。改变的是——当雇主，尤其是首次，未能履行此义务时，所面对后果的严重程度是否合理。

凯鲁菲道斯表示，此次修法的用意在于取得平衡：既保留法律的执行力，也让雇主在首次疏忽时，不至于承受过重的处罚。人资部相信，这种更具阶梯性的做法，长远而言将更能鼓励雇主主动合规，而非单纯依靠高额罚款的威慑。

这对您的企业意味着什么

如果您是企业主——尤其是正在经营或计划成立私人有限公司（Sdn. Bhd.）——这是一个很好的提醒：向社险局申报职位空缺并非单纯的行政手续，而是具有实际法律约束力、且可被执行处罚的义务，即便如今首次违规的处罚已相对宽松。

真正能够避免这类问题的企业，通常都拥有清晰的合规日历清，楚知道自己的公司需要遵守哪些申报事项、截止日期分别是什么时候。

而这正是我们为客户提供的持续性服务之一，从公司注册到注册后的日常合规事宜，我们都能为您把关。

本文内容仅供一般资讯参考，所述内容根据《新海峡时报》（New Straits Times）于文章发布当时的报导整理而成，并非法律意见。若您需要针对自身公司情况的具体建议，欢迎直接与我们联系，或咨询专业人士。

资料来源： New Straits Times, “Govt drops RM10,000 fine for unreported job vacancies, introduces tiered”