Unemployment will rise without educational reform, says economist

 

Economist Carmelo Ferlito says there is a mismatch between what fresh graduates expect and what employers are looking for.

PETALING JAYA: With unemployment figures on the rise since December, an economist has called for education reforms in both tertiary and secondary education, saying the pandemic only accelerated this underlying issue.

Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education (CME), said tertiary education needs to step up in terms of quality and selectivity to attract talents that aimed for specific high-level positions.

He told FMT that secondary education should also be reformed to introduce professional skills which allow students access to job markets without going to college.

“An example would be accounting. This skill can be taught in secondary schools, while tertiary education should be reserved for scholarly work and liberal professions,” said Ferlito.

Carmelo Ferlito.

He said there was a mismatch between what fresh graduates expect and what employers are looking for as expectations on the labour side remain high despite rising unemployment.

He also said “mass education” had caused cultural pressure for young Malaysians to get a tertiary education when not everybody can get a job consistent with their degree.

“Vocational schools should be rediscovered to create skilled workers for factory work and help the transition outside of labour-intensive production processes,” he said.

Parent Action Group Education (PAGE) founder Noor Azimah Rahim
said language skills would be helpful for graduates to overcome the issue of job mismatch, adding that job seekers could take up additional courses agreed by their bosses.

“If the job seeker is willing to learn and be agile and adaptive, to
hone soft skills or even take additional courses recommended by the prospective employer, there are still ways to redeem the situation,” she told FMT.

Noor Azimah Rahim.

Azimah said like education, the economy also needs a boost.

“The economic pie needs to grow for more to have a larger piece. Education and the economy work hand in hand.”

She also said unless huge sums of money were allocated to strengthen vocational schools, taking these schools to the next level would only be a “pipe dream”.

The Statistics Department recorded a slight increase in the unemployment rate for January to 4.9% compared with 4.8% for the preceding month.

The department said the number of unemployed persons rose by 9,600, registering 782,500 jobless people for January, against 772,900 for December. - FMT