The Budget 2027 gig workers package is worth RM160 million, jointly funded by the government and Grab from 2027, and it lifts median net income by up to RM227 a month for e-hailing drivers and up to RM100 a month for p-hailing delivery riders. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim set it out while tabling Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on 9 October 2026. About 600,000 Malaysians earn their living doing this work.
Last updated: 9 October 2026, 5.50pm MYT. Every figure below carries its source and date. Where the measures name one group only, we say so rather than widen the claim.
Photo: Bernama. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Dewan Rakyat despatch box. Image published by Bernama with its Budget 2027 report, 9 October 2026.
Budget 2027 Gig Workers: the package, line by line
These are the measures as tabled, read from the speech reporting and the agency detail. Nothing here is a forecast.
| Measure | What it says |
|---|---|
| RM160 million package | Government and Grab jointly fund it, starting 2027. It covers higher minimum earnings for e-hailing and p-hailing workers, help with vehicle maintenance and insurance costs, and SOCSO contributions |
| E-hailing drivers | Median net income expected to rise by up to RM227 a month |
| P-hailing riders | Median net income expected to rise by up to RM100 a month |
| SOCSO matching for gig workers | 35% matching contribution for e-hailing and p-hailing workers, rising to 50% if the platform company also contributes |
| SOCSO matching for the self-employed | 70% matching for more than 200,000 self-employed people across 17 sectors where SOCSO contributions are not compulsory |
| Tax relief | SOCSO relief extended to mandatory contributions under the Lindung Kendiri (Self-Employment Social Security) scheme, plus up to RM150 extra relief for voluntary contributions to Skim Lindung 24 Jam and Lindung Kendiri |
| Retirement savings | EPF matching contribution of up to RM600 a year, capped at RM6,000 over a lifetime, for e-hailing and p-hailing drivers |
| Financing | BSN and Agrobank provide RM270 million to fund gig workers who want to start a business or buy a first home |
| Regulation | The p-hailing sector to be fully regulated under APAD and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (LPKP) |
| Still to be decided | The Gig Consultative Council is negotiating minimum income rates, income formulas and minimum social protection standards. A decision is expected in early 2027 |
Source: Bernama, “Budget 2027: RM160 Mln Package To Boost e-Hailing, p-Hailing Workers’ Income”, 9 October 2026; Bernama “Govt, Grab To Fund RM160 Mln Package To Boost E-hailing Workers Income”; New Straits Times and The Star, 9 October 2026. Read 9 October 2026.
Source: Bernama. The report of 9 October 2026 carrying the package, the monthly income figures and the SOCSO matching rates, with Bernama’s photograph of a p-hailing rider. Read on 9 October 2026.
If you are a creator, KOC or micro-influencer
The RM160 million package names e-hailing drivers and p-hailing riders. It does not name content creators, KOC or social media influencers. So the honest answer to “what did Budget 2027 give creators?” is that no dedicated creator measure was tabled. What you get instead comes from the self-employed tracks, and they are worth understanding because they are open to you.
| Measure | Whether it reaches you |
|---|---|
| 70% SOCSO matching, self-employed | For more than 200,000 self-employed people across 17 sectors where SOCSO is not compulsory. Content work is self-employment, so this is the track to check — but the documents we read do not list the 17 sectors, so confirm with SOCSO before you rely on it |
| Lindung Kendiri tax relief | Applies. SOCSO relief now covers mandatory contributions to the Self-Employment Social Security scheme |
| Extra RM150 relief | Applies. Up to RM150 additional relief for voluntary contributions to Skim Lindung 24 Jam and Lindung Kendiri — the cheapest protection a solo creator can buy |
| Automatic EPF registration at 18 | Applies to every citizen. Relevant if you started creating straight out of school: your retirement clock now starts earlier |
| EPF matching, RM600 a year | Not the one for you. As tabled it is for e-hailing and p-hailing drivers, not for creators generally |
| RM270 million BSN and Agrobank financing | Not the one for you as tabled — it names gig workers starting a business or buying a first home |
Source: Bernama, 9 October 2026, and the Budget 2027 tabling; the application to creators is our reading of the self-employment tracks, not a government statement. Read 9 October 2026.
One measure that does touch the creator economy directly, and was easy to miss: entertainment duty is waived for arts, cultural, entertainment and sporting events at Stadium Negara and Stadium Merdeka. If you run, sponsor or work events, that lowers the cost of putting one on.
Source: The Edge Malaysia, “Highlights of Budget 2027”, 9 October 2026.
What happens next, and what is still unfixed
The package runs alongside the Gig Consultative Council, which is still negotiating minimum income rates, the formula for calculating income, and minimum social protection standards for gig workers. Its decision is expected in early 2027 — which means the numbers above are the envelope, not the final scheme.
The p-hailing sector moves to full regulation under APAD and the LPKP. For riders that is the measure most likely to change the day-to-day terms of work, and it is the one with the least detail published so far.
Budget 2027 itself is not law yet. The Supply Bill 2027 was moved for its second reading on 9 October; the policy-stage debate runs for eight days from 12 October, ministerial winding-up is 26–29 October, and the committee stage runs to 26 November. Figures can move in committee, which is why everything on this page is dated.
Related coverage
- Budget 2027 Malaysia: Live Updates and Key Announcements: the full budget as tabled, with the measures for households and businesses
- Budget 2027 SME Wishlist: SAMENTA’s 15 Asks: what the SME association asked the Finance Ministry for
- Budget 2027 Malaysia: SMEs Want Outcomes, Not Allocations
- Malaysia Minimum Wage: What Budget 2027 Signals for SMEs
Sources
Sources
Bernama, 9 October 2026: “Budget 2027: RM160 Mln Package To Boost e-Hailing, p-Hailing Workers’ Income”; “Govt Agrees To Fund RM160 Mln Package To Boost Net Income Of e-Hailing, p-Hailing Workers”; “Govt, Grab To Fund RM160 Mln Package To Boost E-hailing Workers Income”. These carry the package, the RM227 and RM100 monthly figures, the 35% and 70% matching rates, the Lindung Kendiri relief, the EPF matching and the RM270 million facility.
Corroboration
New Straits Times, 9 October 2026: “2027 Budget: E-hailing drivers to earn up to RM227 more a month” (also carries the ~600,000 figure and the APAD/LPKP regulation).
The Star, 9 October 2026: “Budget 2027: RM160mil package to boost income of e-hailing, p-hailing workers”.
Sinar Daily, 9 October 2026: Grab to co-fund RM160 million package.
The Edge Malaysia, 9 October 2026: “Highlights of Budget 2027” (entertainment duty exemption; automatic EPF registration at 18).
What we could not confirm. (1) Which 17 sectors the 70% self-employed SOCSO matching covers is not in the documents we read — so whether content work is inside it is unresolved. Check with SOCSO before relying on it. (2) How much of the RM600-a-year EPF matching is new. A matching scheme for full-time e-hailing and delivery workers at up to RM600 a year and RM6,000 lifetime was introduced in the 2026 budget; the 2027 tabling restates the figure without stating an increase, so we do not present it as new. (3) The final gig scheme. The Gig Consultative Council has not published its formula, so the minimum income rates are still open. (4) The speech text and tax annexes were not published at source when we checked, so the gig measures here are reported from the tabling coverage rather than read from the speech document itself.
This article is produced by the BD Media desk and reflects Budget 2027 as tabled on 9 October 2026. Last updated 9 October 2026, 5.50pm MYT.
