KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg recently expressed his concern over the increasing unemployment rate in Sarawak.
He said the rate increased by 8.7 per cent from 2017 to last year. The state’s main challenge, he added, was to reduce unemployment, especially in the youth segment.
In this article, New Sarawak Tribune managed to interview several individuals aged between 19 and 25 on the job market.
Amira Rabuas, 22, a SPM holder, is a full-time employee at an optical eyewear shop. She agreed that it was indeed hard to secure employment.
“Some individuals studied courses that don’t fit with the employment market. That is why they cannot find jobs that fit their qualifications.
“Yes, the job market in terms of opportunities and demands is unpredictable and limited.
“Sometimes, the individuals concerned expect too much from the organisations. Some of them don’t even bother to get experience first,” she said.
Durriyah Hanani Dellan, 23, also an SPM holder, agreed that it was hard to secure permanent jobs.
“I’ve sent a lot of resumes and waited for replies but there were no responses. I gave up and decided to work as a customer service personnel. I still don’t understand what the organisations want,” she said.
Durriyah also added organisations should specify the requirements they wanted.
Nur Nabilla Abu Kasim, 19, said even STPM holders had a hard time getting jobs.
“I’ve seen a lot of diploma and degree holders who are still unemployed. In my opinion, it is probably because of their high demand in terms of salary or maybe they want to find jobs that fit their qualifications,” said Nur Nabilla, who holds a STPM certificate herself.
Nurul Syafiqah Abd Aziz, 25, said it was hard for her to find a permanent job when she had her diploma certificate. Even though she graduated with a degree last year, she still had problems finding a permanent job.
“The job market and the organisations’ demands for graduates are unpredictable. I am a victim of these ‘confusing’ demands,” she said.
Syafiqah added that most graduates ended up wasting their time waiting for jobs that fit their qualifications.
“It is extremely difficult to get a job that fits your qualification. Graduates should lower their demands and try to gain experience first while waiting for the right job,” she said.
The competition among job seekers also got even more difficult with the increasing number of students graduating from universities annually.
Syahmina Shaiful, 25, a fresh graduate this year, admitted that the competition even for part-time jobs was tense.
“The market demand is too small and unpredictable,” she said.
Amanda Benjamin, 23, also a fresh graduate this year, shared the same opinion.
She said some organisations were too demanding.
“Their demands can’t be fully fulfilled. I can only meet some of their demands while the rest are met by other job seekers,” she said.
Nurul Faresya, 24, who graduated last year, agreed that the competition in the job market was tough.
She said some organisations did not advertise their requirements as well.
“In my opinion, looking at the current state of economy, some organisations refuse to take in new employees because of financial constraints,” she added.
