A nation of the highly educated, deeply frustrated

 

Here we are again at that time in the political cycle when intrigues, plots, and stratagems are ramped up.

With the electoral finish line seemingly within spitting distance, incumbents and aspirants alike look for strong hooks to win over an increasingly frustrated public battered by global and local headwinds.

And frustration we have in droves.

Beyond the faithful’s concern about reforms and/or political social contract, the narrowing of opportunities and increasing wealth inequalities is fuelling deep frustrations.

It’s not just felt by the Gen Zs who graduated into labour market with junior jobs decimated; millennials and Gen-Xers too oscillate between being stuck in their careers as well as fears of sudden layoffs.

As we’re hearing more often now, once you’re out of a job, getting back in is no easy task. Hard work, dedication and stability are no longer connected to each other, and with this much uncertainty, book smarts are no longer enough.

Yet, that is what our education has been focused on for successive generations. Conventional education focuses on the technical, rational, and practical, for which billions have been poured into building generations of capable workers.

In times of economic boom, these trained cadres have been valuable in allowing the economy to maintain a state of growth and allow wealth creation across society.

This is unfortunately not the case today. Between 2017 and now, the percentage of underemployed individuals with tertiary education rose almost six percent to 35.5 percent in 2025.

While that does not sound like major increase, it means that larger numbers of tertiary-educated individuals have worked in semi-skilled or low-skilled jobs in the past decade, displacing individuals with lower levels of formal education.

To put that in concrete terms, tertiary-educated underemployed individuals increased by almost 800,000 people to almost two million people from a labour market of almost 18 million (in 2025).

This leads to an increase in competition for semi- and lower-skilled jobs while the median overall wage still hovers around RM3,000.

We are seeing an economic environment where there is a significant amount of underemployment, stalling growth in skilled jobs where wages are higher, and a housing market which continues to be seriously unaffordable for the majority of households.

Meanwhile, external pressures and technological shifts are causing businesses to cut headcounts and lay off workers, who then find themselves fighting in a highly competitive market of predominantly lower-paying jobs or the gig economy.

When things are topsy-turvy, one thing’s for sure - you will need more than what you learned at school. In our efforts to educate and upskill young people, we have inadvertently left out critical emotional components.

The anxious Malaysian

To the ordinary Johari who’s spent his entire life following instructions and expecting a fair system, being removed from that system and left to figure out what’s next on his own is a massive challenge.

With few institutional grips, spaces for mutual support, or even an action plan, it can become overwhelming for an individual trying to break through the market to make enough to survive.

Associated personal networks and associates also find themselves in a state of fear that feeds a scarcity mindset, leaving the individual to figure out things mostly on their own, to their last dime.

This is an experience that is being endured by many across the country and around the world, as job cuts increase and waged jobs become more competitively sought after.

The conventional labour pipeline is slowing down to a trickle, while social institutions and authorities are still drafting a blueprint for the next five years.

For many, there is only grit and experimentation in hopes of finding a combination that works. Whether freelancing, fractional employment, entrepreneurship, gig-jobs, or a mix of them, life must go on.

There needs to be rice on the table, and one needs to do what one has to.

Surplus capabilities

Malaysia certainly does not lack skilled professionals, despite the protestations of industry associations.

Do we have enough expert frontier artificial intelligence (AI) engineers or chip designers? No, but do we have jobs for those skills?

Even in the US, bleeding-edge jobs are a percentage of a percentage of the entire economy. Outside of the secretive tech labs in California, most jobs aren’t that much more sophisticated than the types of jobs in this country.

We have enough skilled people to meet most of our needs. Talent would improve further if businesses were more willing to take risks and expand beyond the local market.

Malaysian businesses that succeed here are often nimble because they have to cater to different market preferences. With enough resources and determination, that adaptability can also help them succeed overseas.

The government can help by reducing some of the risks involved. Bureaucrats in agencies and ministries need to understand that supporting businesses means accepting some risk.

They cannot expect every venture to be guaranteed a success. Viability should not be judged solely by the strength of a grant proposal. If that is too much to ask, the government could at least remove some of the existing obstacles that prevent small businesses from growing.

Learning beyond examinations

We still have many in our schools, colleges, and universities right now who are going through more or less the same pipelines as their elder siblings, parents and aunts did.

They too will be spat out into an environment that doesn’t really care about their commodified scholastic achievements.

Instead, schools should also emphasise critical values including endurance, creativity, curiosity, and empathy.

These values, effectively embedded, will give them an internal toolkit that will allow them to navigate through an uncertain future and differentiate them from robots that can be instructed to do tasks.

It is highly important for this to happen at the school level when minds are still easily moulded.

To continue down existing paths would only lead to another generation of disappointed and frustrated Malaysians. And they too will be looking for people to blame. - Mkini

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LUTFI HAKIM ARIFF works at the intersection of media, policy, and politics. Currently on an education sojourn in the US.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.