MEF: More Local Graduates to Be Jobless till 2020 Because They’re Not Skilled Enough

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has come up with a statement today that more local graduates will not be employed if they don’t equip themselves with critical skills needed by the industry.

The executive director of MEF Shamsuddin Bardan explained, as reported by FMT, that unemployment trend will continue till the end of next year as a result of the gloomy local and global economy.

He continued on saying that at the moment, out of every 100 jobs listed, 89 of them are low-skilled jobs which do not attract locals – the remaining four jobs are mid-range and only seven jobs are high-skill jobs.

The reality is that most Malaysians will look for mid-range jobs but there are not enough jobs to meet the demands of the high number of graduates each year and due to this, employers will only hire the best among the lot. He said,

“Our graduates are spoonfed, we have to keep mentoring them over and over again.”

Those who are more independent and skilful will have a better chance to get a job. Apart from this, the private sector will always prefer those with proper English writing and speaking skills. Those who are skilled in IT and technical fields will also be hired first.

The private sector is also struggling due to the current economic climate with most companies going through restructuring, retrenching, and replacing manpower with robots and artificial intelligence.

What do you think? Do you agree with Shamsuddin that graduates are jobless because they aren’t skilled enough? Sound off in the comments below.

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