Education empowers youths to chase their passions — Don Nazwim

KUALA LUMPUR: Education and employment matter to youths in their preparation to map out their future.

Youth unemployment has been on the rise in the country, estimated to have reached 10.7 per cent in 2015, over three times the national unemployment rate of 3.1 per cent, as growth in hiring has slowed since late 2014, according to recent statistics from Bank Negara Malaysia.

However, Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce Acting President Don Nazwim Don Najib claimed that the unemployment figure in the report was calculated based on workers having office jobs.

“Young people today have a different mindset. For example, a Harvard graduate who comes home may work with a multinational company, but not long after, he quits his job to become a furniture upcycler.

“What he is doing is his passion, and he does not consider himself as a businessman, hence, not part of the employment statistics. It does not mean that he is not working,” he said in an interview with Bernama.

Don Nazwim, who is also National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia committee member, said that the perspective of the younger generation today and how they perceived the world has changed gradually over the years as they would rather chase their passions than stability.

“This is a global phenomenon and with the presence of advanced technologies, things are made easier and more efficient.

“This is a shift in the youth social thinking where it is no longer about getting a degree, getting nine to five job, getting a house, getting married and so on,” he said.

Don Nazwim said traditional marketing is fading, while digital marketing is growing by leaps and bounds, entirely driven by the younger generation.

“The youths now are more concerned about making more money rather than job stability, which is a fact. They are likely to quit jobs because they are after their passions,” he said.

Ironically, in pursuing their passions, most Malaysian youths have neglected the need to master the English language, the international lingua franca of business, he said, adding that, “Our youths are highly-skilled… but sadly, some of our graduates can’t speak English.”

Asserting that it is important for young people to understand that their career choice would have an impact on the Gross National Income, he said:

“They also need to understand what the country is doing, how the inflows of capital help the country develop and how that relates to their daily lives.

“On this score, I believe that relevant authorities need to find an effective method to communicate with the youths,” he said. — Bernama