Selangor Journal
Members of the public looking at job opportunities during the Jelajah Selangor Bekerja 2021 roadshow at Dewan Jubli Perak at the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building, Shah Alam, on October 23, 2021. — Picture by AHMAD ZAKKI JILAN/SELANGORKINI

Selangor plays job matchmaker

By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini

SELANGOR has emerged as the state with the second-lowest unemployment rate (at 2.9 per cent) after Putrajaya, faring better than other states in the country in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to data from the Malaysian Statistics Department.

This performance is worthy of praise as Selangor managed to bring down the unemployment rate from 4.4 per cent in the second quarter of last year despite the despairing job market that was overwhelmed by Covid-19.

In conjunction with the Labour Day celebrations this year, Selangor Journal reached out to state executive councillor for youth and human capital development Mohd Khairuddin Othman to discuss the state government’s initiatives to provide more jobs to the people.

Mohd Khairuddin said although several factors have contributed to the drop in the unemployment rate, it is undeniable that the efforts of the state government in organising job fairs have helped significantly.

He said the Jelajah Selangor Bekerja programme, the Smart Selangor Technical and Professional Skills Initiative (Iktisass) and the Roda Darul Ehsan (RiDE) initiative were vigorously promoted to ensure that the people could reap the rewards and improve their quality of life.

“These programmes kept evolving to accommodate the constantly-changing Covid-19 rules, but they were consistent in prioritising the needs of the job seekers.

“Hybrid interviews involving both physical and virtual meetings became a new norm when the National Security Council recommended careful measures.

“Moving forward, the state government will keep providing more employment opportunities through strategic partnerships with industry players in order to meet the needs of the current job market,” he said.

30,000 jobs

Mohd Khairuddin said that the Selangor government is planning to organise the Selangor Mega Job Fair 2022 Carnival on June 11 and 12 at the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) Convention Centre.

“Some 150 employers from various sectors will be participating, and approximately 30,000 jobs will go on offer.

The participating sectors include food & beverage; automotive; information technology; wholesale and retail; administration and services; professional and technical; electrical and mechanical; finance and takaful; manufacturing; education; aviation and cosmetics.

“As we transition to the endemic phase, this carnival will be organised on a larger scale and will be open to all Selangor citizens, specifically the youths. They are encouraged to attend the interview sessions according to their qualifications and career interests,” he said.

Last year the state government also organised the Jelajah Selangor Bekerja 2021 at several locations in Selangor, including Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Kuala Kubu Bharu, Hulu Langat and Petaling, offering over 25,000 employment opportunities.

Career matching

Another initiative to help increase job opportunities for youths in Selangor is the Iktisass programme, which aims to provide technical skills and professional training to Malaysian Certificate of Education leavers, school dropouts, and special needs students.

“Last year, we organised the SELatih Sure – Selatih Strategic Upskilling Reskilling programme in collaboration with the Selangor Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC) which helps to provide a skilled workforce in Selangor to meet the needs of the industry.

“Another employment opportunity programme that we conducted was Selangor Kerjaya, an initiative by Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated) or MBI to drive the people’s economy through appropriate and effective career matching.

“The state-led effort also aimed at those who lost their jobs or source of income during the movement control order imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19,” Mohd Khairuddin said.

Registered applicants had to undergo a profile evaluation and a career matching session subject to the job that was advertised. After that, the employer made a selection before the job placement session. Successful candidates were given the chance to undergo professional training and access to online learning for 12 months.

 

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