Unemployment challenge among university students

Unemployment, defined as the lack of a job for those actively seeking work, is a critical economic indicator. Notably, a high unemployment rate signals a weak economy (International Labour Office – Geneva: ILO, 2019). The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM, 2020) measures unemployment as the percentage of the labor force that is jobless. Unemployment indicates labor market health, with higher rates suggesting weaker markets (Othman et al., 2023). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global recession, causing Malaysia’s unemployment rate to rise to 5.3% (Baharin et al., 2022). The unemployment rate in Malaysia was 3.2% in 2019, slightly lower than the 3.3% in 2018 (Son, 2019). Youth unemployment is particularly concerning, with rates of 11.9% for ages 20 to 24 and 4.5% for ages 25 to 29 (Shakur, 2020). Graduate unemployment has also increased, with many unable to find work despite completing their studies. Key issues include poor English language proficiency, lack of soft skills, and high job expectations (Kumar et al., 2023). As of 2020, the unemployment rate for recent graduates was 25%, affecting 116,161 individuals (Husin et al., 2021). It was mentioned that many first-degree students at public universities remain unemployed due to lack of experience, inadequate communication skills, and pursuing degrees not aligned with market needs (Othman et al., 2023).