PETALING JAYA: Unemployment figures have begun to normalise as the economy starts to recover, but a business group and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) have noted that underemployment figures remain elevated.
According to the department of statistics, the unemployment rate of 4.7% in the third quarter was the lowest since the pandemic began.
However, underemployment, whether from working reduced hours or from taking employment beneath one’s qualifications, has not come close to pre-pandemic levels.
Small and Medium Enterprises Association president Kam Lian Hooi told FMT there was a gap in the level of education being given to graduates and the needs of the market.
“It seems like a paradox. People are unemployed, and yet companies are still not able to find the right employees,” he said.
“There’s a need to review the focus of the education system. Are we preparing graduates to survive in the new world?”
He called for improved vocational training and digital education and an emphasis on science and mathematics as well as transferable and flexible skills.
“We need to learn the national language while also promoting popular business languages like English and Chinese,” he added.
MTUC deputy president Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani disagreed that there was a mismatch of skills.
“We have not got any such reports from employers. We also haven’t heard anything from graduates about being unprepared,” he said.
Instead, he said, graduates could be taking jobs that did not match their qualifications simply because many faced desperation during the pandemic.
“They just want to work and to bring home a salary. Most are taking these opportunities simply because they want the security a job brings.
“However, once the economy recovers and companies begin to rebuild, we should see more people finding appropriate jobs.”
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/12/22/fewer-jobless-but-desperation-leads-to-skills-mismatch/