By Dr Mohd Shahidan Shaari

Sunday, 21st August 2022

THE uncertain job market and the belief that a university degree does not guarantee a bright future are some of the reasons school-leavers decide not to continue their tertiary education.

Last year, some 5,023,400 graduates participated in the labour force, and 4.69% of them did not secure a job.

This suggests that as many as 235,600 graduates, excluding those who had jobs that did not reflect their qualifications, were unemployed.

And many of them earn a minimum wage of RM1,500 despite having a degree. The alarming figure has put some Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) holders off continuing their studies at the tertiary level.

However, it is not fair to solely place the blame on the job market for the unemployment.

A survey I conducted among graduates who were in employment and those who were looking to get hired revealed that many of them failed to secure a good job due to their lack of communication skills.

Some had to accept jobs that were not commensurate with their qualifications. Their poor proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia and English was the main reason they were not hired.

Worse still, some were reprimanded for the glaring lack of communication skills during their interviews.

Some regretted not putting any effort into improving their English proficiency at university.

Their lack of awareness of the importance of the language had cost them many job opportunities.

Their reluctance to migrate to other states for work and their unimpressive academic performance were also stumbling blocks to employment. Graduates who earned a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00 and above were more likely to be called for an interview, compared to those who obtained a CGPA of below 3.00.

Thus, while the soft job market is a challenge, the onus is also on graduates to acquire skills that are required by employers if they want to get hired.

DR MOHD SHAHIDAN SHAARI
Faculty of Applied and Human Sciences
Universiti Malaysia Perlis

Credit: The Star Newspaper