KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 — The Investment, Trade, and Industry (Miti) Ministry said the low salaries being offered are the cause of the shortage of local skilled workers comprising graduates, although industrial demand continues to increase.
Its deputy minister Liew Chin Tong quoted the quarterly statistical report issued by the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s (DOSM) Bureau of Labour Statistics, which reported 49,500 vacancies for high-skilled positions in the manufacturing sector in the second quarter of 2023 (2Q 2023).
Additionally, data in 3Q 2023 from the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis reported 22,248 vacancies in various jobs in the professional, scientific, and technical sectors involving 5,734 local companies.
“Looking at this data, the production of graduates in Malaysia can be considered sufficient to meet the demand from industries.
“However, most of them choose to work abroad due to better salary offers and working environments or engage in the gig economy,” he said.
Liew was responding to Senator Datuk Mustafa Musa in the Dewan Negara today, who asked Miti to state the estimated employment for technical, engineering, science, and technology skilled workers required by investors in 2024.
This was also in reference to the government’s recent statement over the necessity of skilled foreign labour, which has resulted in a deficit of job opportunities for local graduates.
He also referred to the recent study, “Shifting Tides: Charting Career Progression of Malaysia’s Skilled Talents”, by Khazanah Research Institute, which said the number of overqualified new graduates continues to increase and they face low salary issues, with 65.6 per cent of graduates in 2021 receiving starting salaries of less than RM2,000.
Elaborating further, Liew said Miti, the Higher Education Ministry (MOHE), and other ministries have outlined comprehensive measures to ensure unemployed graduates find jobs in industries that match investors’ needs, thereby meeting market demand.
“Miti and MOHE together with other ministries are managing the ‘work-based learning’ programmes to align TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) with industry needs, along with other programmes to create an environment where graduates and professionals can work alongside technical workers to meet industry demands,” he said.
Nevertheless, Liew said the industries must be prepared to pay high salaries.
— Bernama
