WHILE it is good that the Government has come up with several initiatives to upskills graduates for employment, implementation is still key to ensure its success.
“The initiatives are good but the implementation remains the key to their effectiveness.
“Additionally, we must re-examine and future-proof the courses and syllabus in universities, focusing not only on the demands of today’s job market but also 10 or even 20 years from now, especially with the growing demand for digital and technical talents.
“Otherwise, we risk losing our talent as they migrate to other places for better opportunities,” said Aisling Group managing director Melissa Norman.
Based on the Graduates Statistics 2020 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), there were 5.36 million graduates in 2020, an increase of 4.4% from 2019 (5.13 million).
From the tally, 202,400 of them (4.4%) were unemployed, which is an increase from 165,200 (3.9%) in 2019.
In a study conducted by the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE), the problem was exacerbated by the fact that marketability of Malaysian graduates in 2020 dropped by 1.8% compared to 86.2%.
On May 25, the MOHE announced five initiatives aimed to address the declining marketability of graduates; which includes the KPT-Career Advancement Programme (KPT-CAP), Teaching Factory Programme, TVET Transformation Programme, flexible and micro-credential programmes, as well as mobility programmes.
On that note, Norman said it was clear that Malaysia is having a serious problem where there is a huge mismatch between the job market and the talents produced.
She added that several media have detailed the matter further, where many respondents mentioned inability to find opportunities that suit their chosen field of study and job compatibility issues.
“This leads to graduates to settle for part-time jobs, gig jobs and even positions that aren’t suited to their qualifications, often with low pay.
“Hence we cannot afford to waste more time and risk being left behind in the race as we work to develop the country’s economy,” Norman quipped. – June 13, 2022
