Over 25% of M’sian graduates face mismatched employment

PETALING JAYA: A rising number of degree holders in Malaysia are in job fields that do not match their qualifications, according to a World Bank report.

The Malaysian Economic Monitor report found that over a quarter of graduates in the country face hurdles securing “high-skilled employment”, as quoted from the New Straits Times.

It was reported that 26.9% of graduates in 2022 did not fully utilise their skills, marking a leap from 8.6% in 2010, adding that 48.6% of the highly educated workforce in Malaysia were comprised of degree holders in 2022.

The World Bank report pointed out that one of the main factors behind this trend is the “insufficient number of highly skilled jobs”, as quoted.

The amount of high-skilled jobs offered were estimated to be less than 50,000 between 2018 and 2023.

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On the other hand, up to 350,000 Malaysian graduates have fought for their place in these jobs in the same period of time.

Diploma holders also face similar challenges, even with the rise of STEM graduates.

In Kelantan, over 50% of skilled workers are employed in jobs where they are overqualified, reportedly exceeding the national average of 36.9%.

Other states in Malaysia facing the same issue of overqualified workers are Terengganu, Perlis, Pahang and Johor.

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Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang have lower mismatched employment, indicating the availability of more highly skilled job opportunities.

In terms of where Malaysia is placed in Southeast Asia pertaining to the number of highly skilled workers, the country reportedly has a high rate of 50% compared to Indonesia and Thailand but still behind Singapore’s rate of 60%.

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