Survey: Fresh graduates find it harder to get jobs

GEORGE TOWN: Fresh graduates are finding it harder to find employment.

In a survey of 36,207 fresh graduates and tertiary students from January to September, it was found that they had to send an average of 15 job applications before being employed.

In the same survey last year, they only needed an average of 12.8 job applications before hitting the bull’s eye.

The survey by gradmalaysia for the 11th year running also found that graduates’ expected starting salary had risen by 2.9% to RM2,792.

It also showed that most fresh graduates stayed clear of political activities. Only 8.9% admitted to being involved in political parties, lobby or special interest groups.

But 70.9% surveyed said they took part in social welfare or religious groups for at least three months in their campus lives.

GTI Media runs gradmalaysia, an online portal dedicated to helping fresh graduates find jobs.

The company’s head of products and services Jaideep Patel said of those surveyed, about 60% were graduating this year or the next and the average age of the respondents was 23.

“The cumulative grade points average of respondents are higher this year with 33.3% of them having at least 3.5 and almost 50% getting 3.0 to 3.49,” he added.

He was speaking at KDU Penang University College’s employers appreciation luncheon here on Thursday.

Representatives of about 40 companies in Penang, who regularly hire fresh graduates of KDU Penang, were treated to lunch and shared information on what they sought in fresh graduates.

KDU Penang Career and Placement Centre manager Anna Lim, said that in a follow-up study of the campus graduates this year, 6.18% of its graduates took jobs unrelated to what they studied.