Youth Unemployment Rate in Malaysia Declines to 10.1% in Q1 2023
Wednesday, June 7, 2023, 3:29 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s youth unemployment rate has dropped to 10.1% in the first quarter of this year, compared to 11.1% during the same period last year.
Mustapha Sakmud, the Deputy Minister of Human Resources, acknowledged that high youth unemployment is a global challenge faced by many countries. He highlighted that this age group undergoes a transition from academia to the job market, which contributes to the unemployment rate.
To address this issue, the government will continue formulating and implementing various initiatives across ministries and agencies to reduce overall unemployment, particularly among youth in both urban and rural areas. Mustapha made these remarks during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.
In response to a query from Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) regarding government efforts to combat youth unemployment resulting from job mismatch, skills gaps, and concerns about job quality and quantity, Mustapha mentioned that the Ministry of Human Resources (KSM) and the Social Security Organization (Socso) have intensified several programs. One of them is the MyFutureJobs platform, which offers over 1 million job vacancies and 148,000 professional job opportunities.
Moreover, Mustapha highlighted that a total of 1,366 career fairs were organized nationwide, resulting in successful job placements for 21,740 individuals, with 78.1% of them being youth.
Regarding the performance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ILJTM) graduates in the job market, Mustapha stated that 99% of employers expressed satisfaction with their work based on evaluations conducted.
He also emphasized that KSM is intensifying efforts through Talent Corp to enhance the development and marketability of the country’s young talent by fostering synergy and collaboration among ministries, government agencies, departments, and higher education institutions.
