Employment vs Unemployment

Recently the issue of unemployment has  intensified as it has been "the talk of the town". With our youths venturing beyond our shores of our state seeking their fortunes with high hopes of anticipation; to escape the the perception that there the availability of employment in Sabah is dim.

However this matter has not been ignored by the state government as it is seen as a drain of not only physical man power but also many talents and skills that various sectors that co-existed within the borders of Sabah.  According to one estimate, there are more than 32,000 job seekers in Sabah many of the graduates.

What does the Statistic says?

Recently it was reported that the unemployment in Sabah is relatively low at 5.2 per cent and  surprisingly  has not increased despite a population growth. The findings which was presented by Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang En Yin Pang was based on the figures provided by  by the Department of Statistics. However, Pang noted that "the rate is higher than the national level at three per cent but comparable to Australia which is regarded as a fairly resilient economy, and half of France which stands at about 10.2 per cent."

The principal statistic on employment for last year showed that there were over 1.64 million in the labour force in Sabah, increasing from almost 1.59 million in 2010 and 1.35 in 2009. - Youth & Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang En Yin Pang-

                                                                                                                                   

Having said this, Pang stressed the fact that what is very much needed now is to locate where these unemployed citizens are and ascertain their qualifications and skills to enable them to be trained so that they can provide a pool of human capital geared to drive the economic transformation programme.

HALATUJU: When the State Government Steps In

The State government with the Halatuju Agenda also recognised the critical role of human capital development and initiated the Sabah Manpower Requirement Study (2010-2025) to replace the Sabah Manpower Master Plan 1983/84 which is no longer relevant to the current economic environment.

The ongoing study is industry-based with Phase 1 covering four industries namely agriculture, resource-based manufacturing, tourism and Information & Communications Technology.

The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) has identified the Sandakan Education Hub and the Interior Education Hub as human capital development clusters.

Apart from that, SEDIA also visited and discussed with local and foreign higher learning institutions on academic and R&D collaborations, as well as enticed institutions to consider setting up campuses in Sabah.

In a more recent event, the Sabah Job Expo 2012 with a set up of  more than 40 booths  by the companies who participated  the two-day expo where a total of 2,500 jobs from various industries will be offered at according to the Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai noted that "the focus of this expo is to disseminate information to the youths and the area community about employment opportunities in various industries in Sabah”.

The Private Sector: Playing their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

This matters doesn't end here: 44 private sector companies and government-linked companies (GLCs) involved in the Skim Latihan 1Malaysia (SL1M ) in Sabah will give unemployed graduates a chance to work.

Taking on the corporate social responsibility (CSR), The Skim Latihan 1Malaysia (SL1M) is a private sector-led initiative or outreach program to increase these graduates employability in the job market.

As an incentive, Chief Minister Musa Aman disclosed that the federal government has agreed to give a 5-year Double Tax Deduction incentive to the companies that participate in the SL1M program. The tax incentive took effect from 1 June 2012 and will end on 31 December 2016.

"The tax incentive provided by the government is an expression of gratitude and recognition to these companies for their cooperation and commitment towards helping the government solve the unemployment problems among graduates." Chief Minister Musa Aman

Having said this, the Chief Minister noted that "the private companies and GLCs play a crucial role in ensuring the state has a suitable pool of people with the right skills to meet the state's manpower needs."

In the past year, a total of 8,000 SL1M participants nationwide were recruited. This year however saw an increased by 2,000 applicants; bringing the number to 10,000 were received from graduates who wished to join the program. However, only 4,000 were accepted and only 400 from Sabah. In a more simpler term: 1 in every 10 malaysians that had applied and got accepted  for this program are form Sabah.  

Women are NOT left out

 The Community Development and Consumer Affairs Ministry through Sabah Women's Affairs Department (JHEWA) has established a long- term plan to help women with potential and interest in setting up businesses, but who lack knowledge and capital.

Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs  has formulated a 10- year Master Development Plan for Women that focuses on the development of entrepreneurship, especially for women who do not have a job and wish to go into business. Under the master plan, various entrepreneurial packages are prepared.

"The program focuses on the potential fields of interest for women to venture into business as well as give them exposure and business opportunities." Azizah Dun, Minister of Community Development and Consumer Affairs

JHEWA has also listed various program such as a motivational program to stir interest in entrepreneurship, short training courses and workshops to guide and train women in business knowledge and skills.

Apart from that JHEWA also has provisions for business funding of various sorts, including loans, and the use of premises in Wisma Wanita under certain circumstances.