Addressing the problem of unemployed grads

THE Higher Education Ministry recently revealed that up to 29,000 graduates have yet to find employment six months after graduating.

MCA Youth national chairman Ling Tian Soon says all sectors, employers in particular, must join hands to help the government address this problem.

Below is his statement in full:

The revelation by the Higher Education Ministry that as many as 29,000 graduates have yet to land a job six months after graduating is worrisome and warrants attention from the government.

This figure is staggering, more so as the number of graduates in the country increases yearly.

Therefore, all quarters, in particular employers, need to join hands and play a role in assisting the government to overcome this phenomenon.

Perhaps, the government could conduct a study on this dilemma to comprehend the actual situation as to why a large number of graduates in our country fail to find a job even six months after graduation.

The government could establish a special committee similar to the previous government, that is, the National Employment Council, to be chaired by the Prime Minister.

This Council could conduct negotiations with employers to find out market demands and requirements, and then take the necessary measures to ensure that courses offered by institutions of higher learning will meet market needs.

Following this, the government could undertake steps to provide upskilling courses or technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to graduates to expand their skills, while enhancing their competitiveness as well.

Previously, Barisan Nasional Youth had taken the initiative to organise a BN Youth Job Fair 2022 career carnival which saw a turnout of 32,000 visitors.

Back then, 6,000 job vacancies by more than 300 employers were offered. If a career carnival organised by a political party could achieve this much success, we are confident that a similar event organised with government resources can definitely leave a greater impact.

Micro credit loan schemes should also be offered by the government to galvanise more graduates to attempt entrepreneurship.

As our country today confronts a food security crisis, the government could encourage more youths to venture into modern agriculture. Incentives for the use of automation and high technology such as the internet of things (IoT) could also be offered to enable modern agriculture to be an attractive option for graduates.

What is certain is that this problem cuts across ministries, and the government should not view this problem from a single angle only, but rather be open to hold dialogues, negotiations and discussions with all stakeholders to resolve this problem.

At MCA Youth, we are always ready to help empower youths to choose quality jobs. In fact, since the beginning, we have taken the initiative to help government efforts on this issue, and we will continue to do so for the greater good of Malaysians as a whole.

LING TIAN SOON

MCA Youth National Chairman