Between cooking and driving
THE durian must be terribly envious of nasi lemak. Despite being the king of fruits, it seldom gets into limelight. Even local celebrities fall short of media attention compared to this delectable dish. 2017 was quite a celebratory year for the sambal- laden dish as it made headlines for its successful foray as nasi lemak burgers and for being featured on the dress of Miss Universe Malaysia 2017 on the world stage.
It recently made the headlines again, albeit for negative reasons, when former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that “it is a waste for graduates to sell nasi lemak or be Uber drivers.”
While it may be frustrating for Dr Mahathir to see graduates doing menial jobs, it is even more upsetting for those on the ground. While I have not resorted to peddling nasi lemak or signed up as a ride-hail- ing app driver, these jobs do seem to be viable options to earn some extra income.
The current job market has turned graduates into opportunists and even entrepreneurial. Many have grabbed the bull by its horns to create jobs for themselves instead of lamenting the lack thereof. Many have turned to baking, providing tuition and photography to fend for themselves.
Unemployment among graduates has been a problem in this country for years. To treat this problem effectively, the elephant in the room must be addressed, that is the lack of job opportunities in certain industries and the skills mismatch between graduates and employers.
I noticed this mismatch firsthand while I was interning with an insurance agency. My colleagues in the administration department included physiotherapy and accounting graduates!
I have also seen science graduates applying for human resource and administrative jobs at career fairs. They have accepted that there are no jobs to match their qualifications.
Seeing this under-employment issue up close was quite alarming for me especially when Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are being heavily promoted.
In preparation for Industrial Revolution 4.0, schools and universities are being overhauled to include programming and coding lessons so that the future generation will not be left out in this technology-driven era. While these efforts are largely commendable, the job market needs to be studied as well. Most of the jobs in the data science and analytics industries require years of professional experience which fresh graduates are not able to provide. In the long run, a skills mismatch can be detrimental to the economy.
Although a university degree should not be seen as a ticket to a prosperous future, it should still serve its purpose which is to enhance the employability of graduates. With private educational institutions mushrooming around the country, everyone can get a degree these days.
The employment market is therefore saturated with a glut of fresh graduates pining for jobs.
I should begin experimenting on some nasi lemak recipes soon. Nasi lemak spaghetti perhaps? Who knows, it might be the next big thing? RECENT GRADUATE Kuala Lumpur