The increasing unemployment rate among the graduates in Malaysia is a worrying trend. For many years, the issue cropped up again and again, made the news headlines, and even hit the parliament. The days have passed when a degree scroll can become your automatic passport to employment. Higher education is no longer a symbol of career success. This may sound painful for graduates but let’s face it. It is reality, no matter how harsh it may appear

Four reason why graduates unemployed

1. Economy
Firstly, the economy factor also causes why fresh graduate unemployed. The changing of the economic structure and landscape is a probable cause for the rise in the unemployment. For many years, the manufacturing has been the strongest sector in the country until it is now being progressively replaced by the services sector. The services sector requires people who do not only possess the right technical knowledge, but also those who possess the right soft skills – interpersonal, communication, wisdom, maturity and are business oriented.

2. Quality of education
Secondly, the quality of education becomes a significant cause to this current situation. It seems that every year the country produces more and more brilliant students. This is evident with the increasing number of straight A students in SPM. It is also easier to find degree holders with first class honors.

3.Choosy job seekers and Choosy employers
Thirdly, the graduate sometimes is very choosy when applying for their job and the employer is very choosy as well. Nowadays, candidates are expecting job offer to come with a package: a good pay, convenient working location, no shift, no work beyond 6pm and so on, with everything handed in a silver platter. Whereas, if the employer is putting ‘working experience’ as a pre-requisite to get a job, when is the fresh graduates going to get their first job? This scenario makes the topic become worst.

4. Lack of guidance
Last but not least, the graduates, lack of guidance when apply for the job. Blaming the graduates themselves for the whole predicament is not entirely right either. After all, they are products of a flawed system. Majority of them are oblivious to the expectation from them in the employment market. Upon graduation, they become babies again, not ready to face the real world. The supposedly days of liberation suddenly becomes the days of uncertainty. This happens due to obvious discrepancy between the education and the employment. Example, study is study and work is work. This gap needs an immediate bridging. While organizing a career fair and sending penultimate students for industrial placement are commendable effort, these are just not enough.