"For every ringgit earned, 1.25 sen will be deducted and contributed to Socso," Cheong said during a panel discussion titled, "Ageing Population: Challenges and Policy Considerations", at Bank Negara Malaysia’s Sasana Symposium 2025.

"The idea is to make it small enough that it’s negligible, and frequent enough to ensure minimum coverage," he said.

The initiative specifically targets platform-based workers, such as food delivery riders and e-hailing drivers, including those working for companies like Grab and foodpanda. These workers frequently fall outside the scope of Malaysia's formal social security safety net.

Cheong said the new mechanism was developed to accommodate the unique earning patterns of gig workers, who often do not voluntarily contribute to protection schemes due to income instability or seasonal work.

"These workers don’t save on a monthly basis like those in the formal sector. Their financial behaviour is seasonal — they work harder before festive periods, or when saving for a holiday or big-ticket item, then go inactive," he said.

Previous voluntary schemes had low participation rates because fixed premiums, such as RM200 a month, were not viable for many gig workers, he said. In contrast, the per-ride deduction model enables real-time micro-contributions without disrupting their cash flow.

This new policy represents a shift from the Self-Employed Social Security Act 2017, which initially offered voluntary coverage for employment injury and invalidity. With the upcoming amendment, participation will become mandatory for gig platforms, with collection integrated into their payment systems.

"We’ve engaged with 14 major platforms, mapping income patterns and feasibility. The deduction will be built into the payment architecture," said Cheong. He added that informal workers outside the platforms, such as fishermen or farmers, will require different enforcement strategies, likely through sectoral regulators.

Cheong also hinted at potential collaboration with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to extend similar micro-contribution models for retirement savings.

"If EPF were to do it — we at Kesuma (Ministry of Human Resources) are experimenting with this. [So] we might even roll it up to EPF as well," he added.