Unemployed graduates urged to step up their game
MIRI: The issue of unemployment among graduates has long been discussed, but now is the time for them (graduates) to step up their game.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak ( Unimas) deputy vice- chancellor ( Student Affairs and Alumni) Professor Datu Mohd Fadzil Abd Rahman said it’s common for graduates looking for jobs to apply for a position matching their respective qualifications. But if it’s a government job they were looking they were bound to face many competitors.
If they failed to get the job in the first instance most graduates would rather wait for the next opening, which might take some time, he added.
He said this in response to a newspaper report recently with regards to the Finance Ministry’s ( 2019) Economic Review on the unemployment rate among Bumiputera graduates.
Mohd Fadzil said being choosy were among factors which contributed to many graduates still being unemployed.
“The attitude of not wanting to get out of the comfort zone or ‘ migrating’ out of their hometown are also contributing factors apart from their desire to only work in the government sector.”
He added that the increasing number of new universities and the setting up of branches of overseas universities in Malaysia would likely increase the number of graduates, which would create an imbalance in the number of jobs to manpower need.
“To be honest, it’s not easy to answer this question as it is very subjective, and too many contributing factors.
He said the graduate unemployment issue was being discussed until today.
“With the advancement and increasingly dynamic world of higher education, it is definitely impossible to ensure that every university graduate is guaranteed a job.
“The problem of unemployment can be overcome by the nature and attitude of the individual themselves. Whether they like it or not, the reality now is that it is the ‘survival of the fittest’, and those who are strong-willed and persevere will be able to handle all the shortcomings.
“There is no use blaming others without even trying to improve oneself, and students have to accept the challenges and change their mindset with regards to the concept of wagebased employment,” he said.