Graduate Unemployment in Malaysia

slothful graduates have become a cause of concern in Malaysia. The findings of a Graduate Tracer Study in 2006 involving 132 900 graduates from institutions of higher acquisition all over Malaysia indicated that 30.7% of graduates remained unemployed six months after graduation, trance 5.7% were salvage awaiting job placement (Tan, 2007). The Minister of Human Resources revealed that more female graduates in this country were unemployed because they lacked the germane(predicate) skills required in the attention foodstuff despite having excellent academic results. The number was much higher in comparison to male graduates (Nor Hartini, 2007). As there argon so umteen unemployed graduates at present, we need to find out why this caper exists and what can be done to overcome it.One reason for this riddle is that the focus of higher education institutions and the needs of the labor market for graduates are non as compatible as they were twenty years ago. The labor market is n ow more competitive and volatile. As a result, graduates, pillow slip difficulties in getting jobs because they are not ready for the industry (Tan, 2007). For instance, the acquaintance of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) acquired by students does not quite make for the expectations of the industry.Lack of develop and skills are also causes of graduate unemployment. Generally, most organizations opt to employ graduates with experience. Furthermore, in Malaysia, the private sector today is not fire in recruiting local graduates because they lack essential skills, much(prenominal) as development in English and interpersonal skills (Nor Hartini, 2007). There appears to be a diversity between what employers require and what skills graduates have.In view of this, the government has implemented some(prenominal) measures to reduce the problem of graduate unemployment. One such measure is the installation of several genteelness classs for fresh graduates. For in stance, the Ministry of Human Resources, through their training agencies, has introduced the Unemployed Graduates Training Scheme in order to equip graduates with certain skills and experience (Chapman, Chew & Tan, 2007). The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, likewise, has initiated a programme where established retailers have started recruiting graduates and diploma holders as allotment trainees. This scheme aims to not only provide employment opportunities for fresh graduates but also to give way them to fields in the private sector other than the ones they specialized in (Chin, 2007).Another measure involves a review of the tertiary education system. salving skill development should be incorporated into the education curriculum where students can participate in extra curricular activities to enhance spongelike skills such as personal qualities, interpersonal skills and critical and creative thinking (Nor Hartini, 2007). These soft skills should be acquired thro ugh participation in extra curricular activities while they are studying for their degrees. A lecturer, for instance, can develop students skills and knowledge by stimulating their minds with discussions and case studies. According to Nor Hartini, these skills will enable them to communicate effectively, manage relationships, lead a team, solve problems and succeed in the job market.Thus, it is straightforward that lack of skills and experience are the main causes for graduate unemployment. To overcome this problem, the Ministry of higher(prenominal) Education must ensure that the tertiary education system is relevant and up-to-date. It should continually evaluate the tertiary programs to help produce quality graduates who neat the needs of industries. Also, industries need to play their part by providing more opportunities for training fresh graduates while the graduates themselves need to be more open and yield up these offers.