University of Nottingham Malaysia academic, Dr Tang Kin Boon, was invited as a guest speaker on CITYPlus FM, a Chinese language radio station on 1 December 2020.
Dr Tang was invited to share his views on the unemployment rate in Malaysia, which currently stands at 4.7%. “The unemployment rate rose significantly to 5.1% in June 2020, the highest level of unemployment that the country has seen in the last 30 years,” he said.
He added that approximately 300,00 graduates are about to enter the labour force and discussed whether the current COVID-19 pandemic would negatively impact youth employment in Malaysia.
“In September this year, out of the 745,000 unemployed persons, 322,400 persons (or 43%) of the total unemployed persons are in the age group of 15-24 years which comprised of the largest unemployed age category in the Malaysian labour market.
The 12.6% youth unemployment rate is more than two times higher than the overall unemployment rate in Malaysia. The youth unemployment in Malaysia rises to second highest in the ASEAN-5 region, after Indonesia (18%) and followed by Singapore (9.7%), Philippines (6.3%) and Thailand (4.1%),” Dr Tang said.
Dr Tang added that out of the 291,400 youths who were unemployed in March 2020, nearly half of the total unemployed youths were graduates. According to Dr Tang, the lack of high-skilled job creation is further exacerbated by the current pandemic on labour market.
During the talk Dr Tang also shared about how Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) Malaysia prepares students for the job market and to remain resilient in moments of adversity.
Dr Tang is Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at the NUBS Malaysia.
Listen to the podcast and Facebook Live recording of Dr Tang’s talk.
(Article and thumbnail image caption: Dr Tang from NUBS shared his views on how the current pandemic affecting the graduate employment in Malaysia.)
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For media enquiries please contact: Josephine Dionisappu, PR and Communications Manager University of Nottingham Malaysia at josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named both Sports and International University of the Year in the 2019 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
Posted on 9th December 2020