In the coming months, many employees in the private sector will be out of jobs, and self-employed people that include freelancers and independent contract workers will be without work.
Unemployment will be most acute in the tourism industry that employs 3.5 million people or 23.5 percent of the workforce in this country. Unlike normal times when one could easily find a lower-paying job if not choosy, there will be few, if any, post-Covid-19 pandemic.
What other jobs can a hotel executive or travel agency staff do? It is a foregone conclusion for tour bus drivers, tourist guides and tour leaders when there is little or no tourists for them to handle until end of the year.
The most popular option for the self-employed in this country is selling cooked food. During normal times, it is already a struggle for food stall operators, as profits must cover losses for food left unsold, which can be more than those sold on a bad or rainy day.
But when large number of customers, including office workers, are unemployed while the number of new entrants selling cooked food soars, it is a perfect recipe for disaster. During the Movement Control Order, food truck operators must be one of the most frustrated people denied from operating.
The authorities have no choice as social distancing is ignored by many. Just go to any sheltered wet market which is allowed to operate and see for yourself. By right, if customers distance themselves in a queue, food truck operations are relatively safe, especially if masks are worn.
The catastrophe occurring now is not just in Malaysia but also in the majority of countries devastated by the pandemic and triggering global recession. International aid may no longer be forthcoming as before. In this crisis, it will be every man for himself.
But what could people do when they run out of cash and unable to find work? Some will resort to begging, especially if there are hungry mouths to feed at home. Many will steal by shoplifting while others burgle, rob or snatch.
When people become desperate, a large crowd could swarm a mini-market or convenience store and walk out without paying for items they have taken. This happened by accident very late at night on 31 December 1999 at a 7-Eleven store along Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur.
Many streets in the city were chock-a-block with traffic with people there waiting for the clock to strike midnight and herald a new millennium. It was 7-Eleven’s policy of not closing the store, but operate 24/7, and this one was jam-packed that night.
Instead of waiting in queue to pay, impatient customers started walking out without paying and others took the cue. In no time, herd instinct took over and the whole store was plundered, leaving the cashiers watching helplessly.
Looting is not uncommon in poorer districts of Western cities, but not in Malaysia. However, snatch theft can easily occur with the large number of motorcyclists here. Fortunately, in recent years, bikers who wish to earn some money could deliver goods or foods.
Recently, when popularity for food delivery surged, some people looked down and laughed at delivery boys on their motorcycles with a conspicuous delivery bag behind. But look who is laughing now? They are busy with a steady job while many other people in the private sector will soon be out of work.
If there are simply no jobs left and the Government run out of money to hand out cash, those with an Employees Provident Fund (EPF) account should be allowed to withdraw for survival, otherwise they will not reach retirement age.
But large numbers of self-employed people and the elderly who are still working to earn a living are without an EPF account, and not registered with any of the Government’s aid schemes such as Bantuan Sara Hidup.
Along with violent crimes, white-collar crimes using computers, telecommunication devices and social media to scam, cheat or steal will rise. Those who are greedy for more money, hungry for love or easily frightened will fall victim, however intelligent they may be.
The views expressed here are strictly those of The True Net reader YS Chan from Petaling Jaya.