Thursday, June 13, 2013

Malaysia’s Skilled Labour Dilemma: Jobs Aplenty but Few Takers

BY VANITHA NADARAJ 
Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Maidin
Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Maidin says most of the 120,000 young people each year who slip through the cracks of Malaysia’s education system are Malays and Indians.
Each year, over 410,000 teenagers sit for the Malaysian equivalent of 0-Levels. Some go on to universities and colleges, some opt for skills training in either private or public institutes.
What happens to the rest – more than 120,000 young people each year – is anyone’s guess. This means each year almost one-third of those who leave school at 17 either get a job, start their own business or sit at home and twiddle their thumbs. There is a big possibility that a big chunk of them are doing the latter.
Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Maidin says most of the 120,000 young people who slip through the cracks are Malays and Indians. He was president of the National Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia and member of the government think-tank National Economic Action Council.