Graduates among 400,000 individuals currently unemployed in Malaysia: Abdul Wahid

PUTRAJAYA: Graduates who have completed their studies in six months are among the current 400,000 unemployed individuals in the country, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar.
He said according to statistics, 161,000 graduates or 8.8% of youths, aged between 20 and 24 years, had yet to find a job.
Despite the low unemployment rate, he said the government had launched several programmes to increase jobs such as Jobs Malaysia and 1Malaysia Training Scheme.
Abdul Wahid said this while presenting a quick outlook on Malaysia's economic status during a Business Leaders Dialogue Session with the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, here today.
Therefore, he said, the government was encouraging the involvement of private companies to actively open up employment opportunities and provide industrial training to the target group.
"The government will make sure they have a stable job to support economic growth in a more inclusive way. That is why the government welcomes assistance and the involvement of private companies," he said.
Abdul Wahid added the unemployment rate this year, however recorded a decline in the budget deficit, that has narrowed after the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is projected to grow between 4.5 to 5.5% this year.
Since 2011, more than 19,000 graduates have received training and are placed in the companies, which included Malaysia Airlines (MAS), Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Gamuda Group Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd (Sime Darby), Celcom Axiata Bhd (Celcom) and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB). – Bernama