This is not the time to be picky about jobs



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The chances of recent graduates getting a job right after graduation are extremely low now, especially with the third wave of Covid-19 infections hitting multiple states.

The executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation, Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan, said that up to 50% of them took an average of six months to get a job, which does not necessarily match their skills.

He said it can only be said that these new kids on the block have simply found a job because landing one in their career of choice would be an added challenge.

“They can’t wait for the right job, but rather to take what’s next.

“It is not about how much they get paid, the important thing is to accumulate skills and experience to increase their marketability,” Shamsuddin said in a report quoted yesterday by China Press.

He said most employers have suspended hiring, and even if they are hiring, it is for temporary staff.

Companies that have laid off workers during the first wave of the pandemic are even less likely to hire new staff, he added.

When asked which sectors are most likely to require a new blood injection, Shamsuddin said that, in addition to companies that produce personal protective equipment needed for frontline healthcare workers, most companies are fighting for stay afloat.

He added that the plantation sector needs labor, but due to the nature of the work, recent graduates find it difficult to fit into this line of work.

“Many recent graduates are contributing to the gig economy, taking temporary jobs as delivery drivers and email drivers.”

He noted that some 500,000 people were already in the gig economy before the coronavirus hit.

He estimated that their number would increase to 2.8 million by the end of the year.

He said that although the gig economy has seen a slight rebound, the large number of people who are working in this sector means more competition among them.

Shamsuddin suggested that the government look at the welfare of concert workers, including providing a social safety net for them and a channel to mediate labor disputes.



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