KUALA LUMPUR – Although the unemployment rate in Malaysia fell from 4.5% to 3.6% in September this year, it is still a cause for concern, especially among fresh graduates, educationists warn.
Normahfuzah Ahmad, a lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia, told The Vibes that among the reasons for the unemployment rate among degree holders was because they lacked the necessary communication and soft skills.
“I think among the main reasons is because of the language barrier and their poor ability to speak English,” she said.
Also, she said, students often lack critical thinking skills.
Some companies demand that students take IQ and knowledge tests, and these might be challenging for students who are not used to thinking critically.
She also mentioned that some syllabuses do not reflect what the industry demands, and that is something that needs to be tackled as well.
“Universities need more time to change the syllabuses, so all these factors could be reasons why employers don’t hire fresh graduates,” she said.
“It takes five years to change the syllabus, but I think the system can be amended in three years.
“Universities also should be given the authority to decide the changes on the syllabus according to industry demands,” she said.
She added that the Education Ministry should require students to learn English in primary and secondary school, and teach critical thinking so they can think more holistically and, in tandem, understand the language better in university.
Meanwhile, Awan Ismail from Universiti Utara Malaysia said universities need to provide a comprehensive career exposure programme for students.
Students need to be exposed to a career blueprint for four years of study so that they can plan and implement what is needed before graduation.
“Expose students (to the career world)... (have them attend) organised career programmes such as career fairs and career weeks.
“Provide a job-matching portal (using the existing student portal) to advertise placement opportunities specifically for students by industry,” she said.
She also said that employers must always provide sufficient job opportunities for university graduates.
“The University Virtual Career & Internship Fair 2021 offered 865 job opportunities for internship and hired 1,984 employees, and in 2022, they offered 694 for internship and hired 1,757 bachelor degree students,” she said.
She added that the Higher Education Ministry is collaborating with the Human Resources Ministry to share data from the Graduate Tracking Study and information about job vacancies on Socso’s MyFutureJob portal run by the Human Resources Ministry so that job matching can be done directly.
Ellanttamil Maruthai, a lecturer from University of Malaya, said that graduates face difficulties in finding jobs, as migrant workers compete with local graduates.
He also said the government should ensure university higher education programmes meet industry demands.
Patricia, 23, a graduate of Tamil language and linguistics, said it is unacceptable that most companies do not want to hire fresh graduates.
“My big question is, what will the fresh graduates do if no one accepts them to show their skills that they learned at university?
“Offering jobs to new graduates will never spoil the company’s reputation, and they might get creative and smart employees.
“Let’s give fresh graduates an opportunity to build a better future,” she said.
Nur Syafazreen, 23, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human resources management, said she is currently a part-time tutor while looking for a permanent job.
“I think employers do not want to hire new graduates because they have less work experience, which can create difficulties when doing their job,” she said.
Syafazreen further added that new graduates’ demands for high pay is also a reason behind their difficulty in finding a stable job.
Another degree holder in business administration, Nurul Izzah Jaafar, 24, said she is doing online business to manage living costs and study loans.
“The university must let students work with foreign students to develop their network to international levels and probably find ways to work with foreign companies,” she said. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
