PETALING JAYA, Feb 16 —  Most Malaysians in dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs accept their fate as they cannot find anything better due to poor academic qualifications.

Keflon Majinjkin, a construction worker from Sabah who has been in Kuala Lumpur for the past 14 years, said he went into construction as he did not qualify for office jobs.

“It was difficult in the beginning working at construction sites but I'm now used to it already so I don't find it so tough.

“There is a lot of pressure, of course, as we start as early as 7am and sometimes are still working on-site late at night,” said the 39-year-old.

He said family and friends looked down on his job as they did not think being a labourer amounted to much.

“But I am not bothered as long as I have a stable income to help me survive,” he said.

Yusof Mansur, 20, also a construction worker in the city, said his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results were not good enough for white-collar work, which led him to his present job.

“It's very hard work and at first, you feel a lot of pain from the physical aspects of the job. My family and friends do not judge me as it is honest work,” he said.

Cleaner Ana Mohd, 51, said she did not mind sweeping five-foot ways as it provided enough for her daily needs.

“Life in the village is hard and so I came to town to earn more money. I know there are people who look down on us. For me, I will do any job that can put food on the table,” she said.

S. Surein, 32, who transports electronic products, said he had to carry some of the heavy equipment when making deliveries.

He went into the industry seven years ago as his SPM qualification did not qualify him for a better job.

“I know some people think we did not try hard enough when we were younger to get a better job. But I do not take it to heart as I know I am doing the best I can,” Surein said.

A blue-collar worker, who only wanted to be known as Gan, said he went into the transportation industry as his Sijil Rendah Pelajaran (SRP) qualifications did not go far in the job market.

“As long as I have enough to survive, it is fine,” he added.

Zainal Hayat, 40, a construction supervisor, said it was rare to find Malaysians in the industry as they shied away from such jobs.

“Even at the site I am supervising, most of the workers are Nepalese and Myanmar nationals. I am here because I have an interest in this kind of job. But many others are afraid of the long hours.

He said he sometimes had to stay until midnight to complete tasks.

“It is a lot of hard work under the hot sun, which generally turns people off.”