When the going gets tough

IN the past three months, we have all been adjusting to the realities of partial lockdown brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has produced a labour-market “scarring” or long-term damage to our earning prospects.

Malaysia’s labour market felt the brunt of the movement control order (MCO) implementation, with unemployment in April spiking to 5%, the highest since 1990. Economists say it is likely to go higher in the coming months.

The government, particularly the Health Ministry led by Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, has been recognised as one of the best institutions in curbing the spread of the pandemic.

The government, with strict implementation of the MCO, assisted by various parties including the armed forces, has provided some flexibility for essential services to continue operating. This is to ensure that the economy still ran despite the MCO.

So far, there are no cases or new clusters from these essential services. This deserves our praise. The same measures should also be imposed on other services in stages to ensure the survival of the nation’s economy without compromising precautionary measures – social distancing, no direct contact between individuals and the compulsory use of face masks for business owners who wish to resume operations.

These measures would help reduce the burden shouldered by employers earning zero income to provide an opportunity for them to retain their employees as well as to indirectly reduce the unemployment rate.

An economic recovery plan, which includes short-term, medium-term and long-term measures, needs to be created on an urgent basis in order to diversify the economy and create new employment opportunities.

Lack of experience, low English proficiency and monetary issues are the usual reasons, but looking at different perspectives, difficult circumstances are also contributing to unemployment. Now, people either work in low-paying, “dirty” jobs or remain unemployed.

Recently, a fitness trainer’s determination and willingness to work at a wet market that had been allowed to reopen has earned wide-ranging praise. This would be able to “wake” up people who were emotional and having a hard time. Some youths are even starting to consider working as labourers in plantations and farms.

Tough times are not exactly about choice but survival. To find a job in a flaky market, we must be prepared to step out of our comfort zone. When the employment market is down, demand for jobs will exceed supply. As a result, salaries will also be lower, which is intuitive.

To adapt to this environment, we need to be flexible and realistic in our expectations.