Graduate jobless rate down from 4.4 pct to 3.2 pct

SARAWAK’S graduate unemployment rate has fallen to 3.2 per cent despite a 20.7 per cent increase in graduate numbers over five years.

Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said the rate declined from 4.4 per cent in 2020 to 3.2 per cent in 2024, representing a 27.3 per cent reduction.

He said the downward trend reflected progress in addressing graduate unemployment even as universities continued producing more graduates.

“This proves that we have succeeded in reducing unemployment among our graduates,” he said this when responding to Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor (GPS-Lingga) during question and answer session on Thursday (Oct 15).

Dr Annuar said the unemployment rate remained at 4.4 per cent in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic before declining to 4 per cent in 2022 and 3.5 per cent in 2023.

On graduate employability at four state-owned universities, he said Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak recorded 98.9 per cent, followed by University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) at 92.1 per cent.

Curtin University Malaysia recorded 85.4 per cent, while i-CATS University College registered 83.4 per cent.

Despite the improving figures, Dr Annuar acknowledged that graduate unemployment remained a challenge due to mismatches between graduates’ expectations and available jobs, as well as academic qualifications and industry requirements.

Other contributing factors included limited high-skilled job opportunities, insufficient industrial exposure, lack of practical experience and weak communication skills.

He also identified graduates pursuing courses with limited market demand, often after being offered their seventh or eighth programme choice, as a major concern.

To address the mismatch, Dr Annuar said the state government’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) would cover only 64 selected programmes based on industry requirements.

“We do not offer every course because we have studied the industry’s needs. If we offer all courses, we risk producing an oversupply of graduates in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Annuar said the state would continue strengthening graduate readiness through the Graduate Enhancement Training Sarawak-Work Readiness Programme (GETS-WRP), focusing on strategic sectors such as renewable energy, hydrogen and green energy.