AUGUST 27 — A youthful Malaysia is a dynamic Malaysia, the youth of any country characterises the potential for development – this idea in particular, resonates significantly stronger in South East Asian economies which harness within them the capacity for potent economic growth. A considerable proponent of sustained economic growth is the consolidation of a capable, efficient and productive young workforce. Youth employment and active economic participation are crucial to a strong economy and inject a sense of faith in the country’s long term sustainability visions and goals.
Caring about the youth today can only be conducive to a stable and prosperous future, there is potential to be fostered through Malaysia’s youth. However, there are also significant shortcomings and mitigating factors which impede a future helmed by the country’s youth. At the most conservative estimates, we find that 10% of people aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, and the severity of the issue is compounded by the fact that of 290,000 unemployed youths, 140,00 of them were graduates with qualifications. This elicits concern and worry as it indicates that the problem is pervasive and complex, calling for more than just improved education standards as would usually be the course of action. The problem is that there is an apparent difference between the demand and supply of skills – the skills which are sought after by industries aren’t readily available from graduates. There could be a myriad of reasons for this skills mismatch, ranging from lack of interest or incentive to pursue a degree in a particular field of study to the lack of suitable educational provisions to meet those demands. To further aggravate the skills mismatch amongst young work searchers, the rapid urbanisation in Malaysia means that manual skills and knowledge which are a necessity in rural areas no longer have use in the increasingly tertiary sector focused economy. Young people moving towards the cities have rigid skill sets which don’t match the demands of the economy. Going forward, there needs to be a concerted emphasis on labour mobility through technical training and courses through TVET schemes. Malaysia should seize the opportunity of being surrounded by established economies such as Singapore which has refined a comprehensive TVET scheme to ensure that Youth potential is fostered. Malaysia could seek to emulate certain policies and adapt them to Malaysian frameworks such as the ‘Industry Skills Council’ which invites industry stakeholders and major companies to convene and impart some insight into which skills are in demand and what forms of training are most desirable to best suit the needs of the industry. The government needs to act as a form of intermediary between the employees and employers – a bridge of communication. The adoption of these repurposed ideas could held channel youth graduates into demanded fields of practice seeing as how there would no longer be a lapse in communication between prospective employees and their future employers.
Following on from this thought of increased mobility and adaptability of skills – we can discuss the importance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the subsequent emergence of new job types and how Malaysia can capitalise on this opportunity. Under the umbrella of IR4, lies the potential of the Gig economy – forms of temporary employment intended to give people flexibility when they find themselves between jobs. These roles include food delivery drivers, hail-car/bike drivers, parcel runners, etc. for companies such as Food Panda, Grab and Dego. These jobs didn’t exist as a legitimate profession 10 years ago but can now provide independence and autonomy to people whilst also ensuring some sort of income. These jobs also provide a haven of sorts for people with limited qualifications aren’t neglected. These ventures need to be fostered into a viable option for people through increased investment and government support. IR4 also pushes forth the idea of honing in on new skill sets and providing government funded or incentivised training schemes. These skills and professions include coding, entrepreneurship, digital marketing amongst many other forms of newborn industries and jobs. The economy is opening up with increased opportunities and the youth are the best suited and most adaptable to make the most of it.
A problem which is seldom discussed is the growing apathetic sentiment from the youth towards politics as a whole and political processes. Particularly, there is growing youth disillusionment with politics, they no longer see it as a channel for consequential change and action. With the recent UNDI 18 constitutional change and the subsequent 7 Million new young voters, there needs to be a concerted effort from the government to remind the youth that they have inalienable rights and entitlements as Malaysians. Through these rights, they can demand change, change which will lead to a government that works for the people rather than against them. By nurturing youth political awareness and engagement, we could potentially see a push by the people for policies that will benefit them and give them a chance to strive and succeed – youths can overcome challenges ahead of them, be it economic, social or cultural – by working through the political institutions and processes rather than against it. The 7 Million new youth voters is a step forward in the right direction – but to ensure that it helps retain democratic integrity, there needs to be non bias education and guidance, this opportunity can’t be wasted.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
