Millennials shunning blue-collar jobs: MEF

MALAYSIAN Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan says many college or university graduates would rather stay unemployed than take up bluecollar jobs.

He said there is no shortage of blue-collar jobs, but millennials see employment at production lines, construction sites and plantations as low-grade jobs to be avoided.

“At present, the job market is in dire need of blue-collar workers.

“For example, lower-level production line jobs are mostly taken up by foreign workers but it is not easy to get foreign workers nowadays. Therefore, there are a lot of vacancies waiting to be filled in the manufacturing sector. Even the less-educated locals shy away from these jobs, let alone graduates,” Shamsuddin was quoted as saying in a report in China Press yesterday.

“In these economically trying times, companies in the private sector face a lot of constraints in recruiting staff. They cannot be offering high salaries to attract young people, especially those without working experience.”

According to the latest figures released by the Statistics Department, 511,660 Malaysians were jobless in the second quarter of this year, which saw a slight increase in numbers from 503,900 recorded for the corresponding period of the preceding year.

The statistics also showed that 7,123,300 Malaysians stayed out of the job market due to retirement, studies, diseases, to perform household chores or simply because they are not interested in working.

Meanwhile, Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry national council member and SME and HRD committee chairman Koong Lin Loong said the present breed of Malaysians are very choosy about jobs.