The suggestion by Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan that the government introduce a federal job guarantee scheme to counter rising unemployment has been met with mixed reactions. Some experts called it a misplaced idea while some political and union representatives viewed it positively.

Shahril, who is also Umno Youth deputy chief, said yesterday that not enough was being done to curtail unemployment during the recovery movement control order (MCO). He wanted a federal job guarantee programme, which he felt would work better to mitigate unemployment than any other plan.

Universiti Tun Abdul Razak economics professor Barjoyai Bardai, however, felt that the proposal was too much of a stretch.

"This is too far from what the government is practicing currently because, in Malaysia...