KOTA KINABALU – The problem of unemployment affecting youth in Sabah will worsen if the state government keeps relying on age-old ways it is used to in handling the economy instead of catering for its new generation of talents.
Former state youth and sports minister Phoong Jin Zhe said the government needs to relook its current strategies on enhancing income opportunities and improving the local economy.
He said the state’s reliance on natural resources and tourism, which it has done for many years, will not solve the problem this time around.
In looking at other states that are more developed, he said it is the manufacturing sector that provides the most job opportunities, especially medium- to high-quality jobs, especially for youth.
However, even this is inadequate for the current batch of local talents, who can thrive on more.
“Looking at Sabah, the manufacturing sector contributes about less than 7.5% to our domestic GDP,” he said, adding that Sabah youth possess relatively higher knowledge and skill levels.
“This is also the reason why our talented youth are leaving home for Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and foreign countries because Sabah cannot offer any decent jobs for our highly skilled youth.
“It is not always only about the pay,” he told The Vibes recently.
Most vulnerable to lay-offs
He said low-skilled labour takes up 24% to 27% of the state’s employed population – the highest group in the state.
Phoong said that when the pandemic struck Sabah, the low-skilled labour market was the most vulnerable to lay-offs.
“Sabah already had fewer high-skilled jobs, so the pandemic worsened the situation by shrinking the low-skilled employment market, leaving job opportunities limited for our youth,” he said.
The Luyang assemblyman said vacancies had also dropped sharply from 11,815 positions in July 2019 to only 1,712 in July last year – a whopping 10-fold decline.
“This has lead to situations such as tour guides becoming live broadcasters, e-hailing drivers, joining the food-delivery chain and so on.
“I have continuously urged the government to focus on this economic sector, that is, content creators, such as YouTubers, live broadcasters and so on.
“I also urged the new youth and sports minister to hold a state-level town hall that I had planned prior to the state elections (in September last year) to engage all talented youth, and listen to their concerns and the challenges they face,” he said.
Phoong said the government must tackle this recession seriously to find a holistic solution.
Even before the pandemic and the lockdowns that ensued, Sabah was already suffering from a 5.8% unemployment rate in 2019, higher than the national rate of 3.3%.
The unemployment rate for 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 are expected to plunge further, with the Statistics Department estimating more than 280,000 jobless youth.
‘Seize government opportunities’
Meanwhile, the state government is continuing to encourage youth to take advantage of the nationwide Penjana Kerjaya 2.0 hiring programme, which has been allocated some RM35 million.
Sabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ellron Angin called on youth in Sabah have seize the chance to take part in on-the-job training provided under the programme.
“The pandemic has put youth in a trying time... (It) not only affects those who are working and involved in the tourism industry, but also graduates of higher learning institutions. This group has been searching for job opportunities.
“Hence, the ministry urges youth in Sabah to grab the chance provided by the federal government and learn new skills through Penjana 2.0,” he told The Vibes.
Ellron said the ministry is always open to suggestions from the youth through its Facebook page, Kementerian Belia dan Sukan Sabah, so that the ministry can provide assistance to those in need.
He also urged the youth to log on to the ministry’s website for further information on opportunities provided by the government for them.
“In these trying times, I hope that we will stop pointing fingers or blaming one another.
“Together, let’s stay strong and progressive in getting through post-pandemic challenges. We want the best for the youth in Sabah so that they can be independent.” – The Vibes, April 11, 2021
Additional reporting by Rebecca Chong
