Malaysia – As most businesses prepare for the May 1 implementation of the new RM1,500 minimum wage, questions persist over whether SMEs can afford the extra expense. The new standard comes as the economy continues to recover from the Covid-19 outbreak. Despite the complete adoption of a minimum wage in January 2013 and subsequent increases in 2016 and 2019, data …

State-owned electricity firm PLN has announced its intention to supply Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) on 450-volt ampere (VA) contracts with six months of free electricity as part of the government’s latest expansion of social aid. According to PT PLN (Persero) president director Zulkifli Zaini, the company has started gathering data of around 500,000 pre-paid customers from small businesses …