PETALING JAYA: The unemployment rate among local graduates is not due to the presence of expatriates, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
In a written reply, Zambry cited a number of factors, such as the low wages and being “picky,“ account for the unemployment of many local graduates.
Read More: Split views on whether fresh grads should take ‘any job’
Zambry was answering a question from Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) on the proportion of engineering graduates who fail to secure employment following graduation.
Additionally, Shahidan also questioned the ministry’s awareness of the foreign labour inflow despite the fact that many locals, particularly recent graduates, remain unemployed.
53,257 engineering graduates had been hired, according to a 2022 research cited by Zambry, while just 3,495 were jobless.
Though he provided no numbers, he also revealed that recent graduates under the age of 25 made up the bulk of the unemployed, as reported by FMT.
Furthermore, according to data released by the Department of Statistics in November of last year, 1.68 million graduates in 2022 were jobless for reasons connected to their skills, which is an increase of 7.9% from 1.55 million the previous year.
It was reported that the government is considering allowing foreign graduates from local higher education institutions to work in Malaysia due to a talent shortage, particularly in some highly sophisticated value-added industries.
In reponse, Cuepacs and former Umno leader Isham Jalil both criticised the initiative, arguing that it would result in lower earnings and an increase in unemployment among graduates in the area.
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