Economist sees loss of glamour in paper qualifications post-Covid-19

Shops stand empty in the heart of Kuala Lumpur during the movement control order period. Economist Ahamed Kameel Mydin Meera says many businesses will either scale down their operations or close permanently after the Covid-19 outbreak subsides.

PETALING JAYA: An economist predicts that the post-Covid-19 era will see the thriving of people with entrepreneurship and artistic talents and the erosion of demand for jobseekers who depend only on paper qualifications.

Ahamed Kameel Mydin Meera, the managing director of a consulting group, told FMT he could foresee skills in e-business, home-based businesses, agriculture and entertainment being in demand.

Noting that people with culinary skills were already making money teaching others to cook on YouTube, he said: “One does not need any paper qualification to do that. Your viewers will judge you. That’s your qualification.”

He said many businesses would either scale down their operations or close permanently.

“This will see a lot of people going jobless and many traditional jobs going bust.”

Even teachers, he said, would be subject to judgment by their students. “If you are not a good teacher, you may not be in demand. But before the pandemic, you earned the same whether you are a good or a bad teacher.”

Kameel called for a focus on talents such as writing, singing, acting, arts and crafts, fashion, cooking and sports.

Another economist, Yeah Kim Leng of Sunway University, said a lot of industries would change the way they operate.

The medical industry, for example, might undergo a transformation towards telemedicine, he added.

He urged NGOs and trade unions to advise the government on the education and training required for future needs.

He said they could also act as talent scouts for the various industries. - FMT