PETALING JAYA: The Covid-19 pandemic has changed life as we knew it. It even prompted the birth of new businesses, such as food delivery. Many unemployed individuals were drawn to it and started working in what is known today as the gig economy.
But do food delivery workers have a future?
While some claim to earn as much as RM7,000 a month, what will happen as they get older?
Consider this too. In Malaysia, graduates employed in semi-skilled jobs account for 28.9%, or 1.26 million of the 4.36 million graduates in the workforce. They were largely employed in the gig industry, according to a July 2021 report by the Statistics Department.
Human resource specialist Parimala Ponnusamy said while gig workers may make good money, they do not develop any “real” job skills.
“Once these youths hit their late 30s and 40s, they may decide to get a job in a company.
“But who will employ them? What skills would they have learned as food delivery workers? Which food delivery platforms provide training or career advancement opportunities for their riders?
“A downside of the gig economy is the lack of sustainability or career development. While it gives flexibility and financial independence, those employed do not learn new skills. Being food delivery workers limit their personal and career growth,” she told theSun.
Parimala said while the gig industry can be a platform to earn additional income, it should not be a permanent job, adding that unstable income and job insecurity will leave them financially vulnerable when attempting to secure a loan or support a family.
She said the lack of soft skills that are needed to function in a traditional workplace will hinder their career development in the long run.
But such setbacks can be remedied through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
“TVET is a good programme to develop knowledge, skills and abilities that are needed in the job market. It focuses on developing technical skills that increase the chances of employability, regardless of academic achievements. Everyone has unique learning abilities, and such hands-on training would help prepare them for employment in a real-world setting.
“There is a high demand for TVET graduates with technical skills in the market, where everyone has an equal opportunity to advance in their careers.”
Universiti Selangor deputy vice-chancellor (students development and community engagement) Assoc Prof Dr Hamdan Mohd Salleh said TVET fills the gaps for those who failed to do well academically and helps them have a stable career instead of merely surviving in the gig industry.
Some 390,000, or 72.1% of school leavers, did not continue their education in tertiary institutions last year, according to the Statistics Department. Instead, they chose careers as social media influencers or gig workers.
“As a way to tackle this issue, TVET should be promoted as an alternative channel to obtain qualifications, apart from the common route of earning a university degree.”
Hamdan said TVET is a broad field with multitudes of industries under its scope, which includes engineering, commerce, machinery, automotive, construction, culinary, tourism, fashion design, marketing, accountancy, graphic design and biotechnology.
“TVET and skills-based industries have been sidelined for some time, and it is stigmatised in society as second-class education compared with more ‘professional’ service-based industries.
“This narrow perspective must change to build a more economically resilient nation, in which the idea of a society that gives equal opportunity to technical and professional industries should be adopted.”
