Thursday, July 29, 2010

The main issue of the Malaysian labor market and the Solution

I wanted to write this after I had given the solution to the issue of the Malaysian education system.
No solution, especially when it is the right one, will be easy to implement.
But I had no time after my businesses were launched one by one.
So hear me out on this first.

Apparently there are approximately 30 THOUSAND graduates out there without a job.
Surely, this must be an improvement.
It wasn't that long ago when I heard the government wanted to help 80 THOUSAND graduates who were unemployed at the time.
Or maybe the government statistics center hired better statisticians. Whatever.

I had hired a 50 year old man in my home improvement center.
Remember when I said that it gave me a jolt that this guy could speak perfect English and not get a job?
I know tons of graduates who can't speak that well and still somehow managed to get a job.

Coming back to this guy, he has ample working experience.
How is it that he was jobless for 6 months prior to coming for an interview with me?
He has good work ethics, is always punctual and shows a good desire to learn although at the age of 50.

The problem with the unemployed in Malaysia is SIMPLE.
It's all to with ATTITUDE.

The batch of employees I have now is my 3rd batch of people.
They comprise of a SPM school leaver, a former mechanic, a former Sony employee and the 50 year old guy who's gone through a myriad of jobs.

Today's young people think the world OWES THEM a job.
When they graduate from a local university that is not even ranked within the top 100 universities in the world, they think they must be entitled to:
1. An air-conditioned cubicle
2. A Dell PC with the best specifications
3. Enough work spare time for them to Facebook (at least 3 hours)

So, how?

The solution:

FORCE them into jobs.

Do NOT give them ALLOWANCES under the pretext of Retraining etc. This is akin to a parent still giving pocket money to a grown-up child.
Round ALL these unemployed "graduates" up and get them into jobs.

My ex-employer, Westports, has vacancies. Let me know if you're interested in learning about logistics and how a world-class port is run.
I applied there as an EXECUTIVE after I had obtained my European MBA.
I knew that if I were to go in, I must start learning from the bottom.
Ask my wife.
Ask her how I coped with working the midnight shift.
That's right, the GRAVEYARD shift.

So, all these brilliant young people can't find a job?
Really?
After my SRP exam, I pumped petrol for RM 1 an hour.
After my SPM, I washed dishes at the Tai Thong restaurant for RM300 a month.
They weren't called work, I called it a job opportunity.

It's high time the "graduates" learn what life is about.
It's not about working in KL so that you can go and hang out in Zouk after you finish work.
It's about balancing your paycheck with your monthly costs.
And how you'll upgrade your skills with on the job training.
Skills you will NOT find in a textbook or in a college.

I would suggest getting the GLCs and the MNCs to help out on this exercise.

Let the "graduate" find out what it's like to be operating a machine at the factory while standing for 8 hours.

The government must issue a notice, that within 6 months of graduation,
these graduates must have either:

1. secured a job, or
2. show proof of job hunting, application forms etc.

If not, shove them into a job where they will be given a choice of factories, MNCs etc.

That will teach them the value of money and also give them direction in life.

I am willing to bet that this will "spur" the graduates into action and suddenly they will be "earnestly" be searching for jobs.

The only party who will be faulting me, will be Star Publications who will be making less than the RM5 million a month they currently get from the Jobs advertisements.

There, if only the government is willing to do this, we will have a bustling local labor market and less Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Myanmars, Vietnamese, Phillipinos, Nepalis and whatever nationality out there willing to work hard for the money.

Problem solved.

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