Krian Assemblyman Ali Biyu (PKR) said in his debate speech at the DUN sitting yesterday that according to the latest report from Bank Negara Malaysia, 23 per cent of university graduates are unemployed
“Based on data from the Statistics Department and Job Malaysia, there are between 15,000 and 20,000 unemployed graduates in the state last year,
“The number of graduates applying for jobs in the State Civil Service was 40,834 out of a total of 169,527 applications. I agree that being a university graduate does not necessarily guarantee a job,” Ali said, adding that unless the unemployment rate is reduced drastically in the near future, it may cause myriad of social problems.
“According to a Job Street survey there are several contributing factors for unemployment of graduates, mainly; unrealistic salary and benefits being demanded, a poor command of English, being choosy about the job or company, poor attitude or lack of character of graduates, poor communication skills, a lack of initiative in job-seeking and disadvantaged self-marketing skills, and mismatch between course curricula and industry requirement,” he pointed out.
Ali also disclosed that Job Street glaringly pointed out that 70 per cent of Malaysian employers are disappointed with the quality of fresh graduates.
“Employers felt that graduates lacked adaptability, multitasking skills, decision-making skills, problem solving skills and creative-critical thinking skills.
“Most alarmingly, graduates are unemployed because they have pursued studies irrelevant to the job market. As such, the government needs to introduce new measures to improve the employability of graduates,” he said.
Ali also suggested improving proficiency in English by introducing access to special courses in English communication for fresh graduates at no cost to them.
“Create opportunities through work experience via government initiatives in the private sector for making available internship and practical training on a large scale throughout the state.
“Develop both hard and soft skills to be more well rounded via special free courses introduced at college and university levels.
“Greater involvement of the private sector in training and producing high quality graduates through incentives such as special tax rebates and exemption. The government should also implement a policy requiring institutions of higher learning to incorporate curricula relevant to industry requirements,” he said.
