Why Are So Many Malaysian Fresh Grads Unemployed & Underpaid?

Siti Aiysyah Tumin, Research Associate, KRI (Khazanah Research Institute) | Iskandar Fareez, Communications Director, REFSA

20-Apr-21 15:00

Why Are So Many Malaysian Fresh Grads Unemployed & Underpaid?

Pause
Embed

Latest reports show that at least 10% of Malaysian graduates have been getting a monthly income of between RM 10001 to RM 1500 since at least 2010. Yes, even graduates with Bachelor’s degrees. And if that doesn’t shock you, then perhaps this next stat will -- in 2020, a staggering 22% of fresh graduates with Bachelor’s degrees fell into this income bracket.

Some may blame the COVID-19 pandemic, others, the recent political turbulence. But some experts have suggested that this is a systemic problem that has been going on for far too long. On this episode, Siti Aiyshah Tumin and Iskandar Fareez joins us to share their insights on the matter.

Image source: Unsplash

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories: Personal Finance, Investments, Financial Literacy, Young Finance, Politics, Social Issues, law & legal matters, Education

Tags: The Bigger Picture, Live & Learn, fresh graduates, unemployment, underpaid, Malaysian job market, minimum pay wage, low income,

Today’s Shows

6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Michael Cucek of Temple University Japan Campus analyzes the outcome of Japan’s election and what it means for the country’s political future.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Varun Mittal, Founder of FinTech Nation, explains stablecoin and crypto.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Lim Cheong Guan, Managing Director of Top Glove Corporation Bhd talks about whether the company is on the path to recovery, competition against Chinese players, impact of US tariffs and more.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Greg Raymond, Senior Lecturer, Australian National University (ANU) talks about the results of Thailand's general election.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Dr. Jayant Menon (Visiting Senior Fellow), ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, discusses the changes that follow the India–Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

Pinnacle Perspectives

Jalil Rasheed, former Managing Director for Asia Pacific at the Tony Blair Institute, discusses leadership and its success criteria.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Michelle Chin, HerDuit

11:05 AM

P&L

Received a CP500 letter from LHDN demanding tax instalments beyond your monthly PCB? TraTax’s Renganathan Kannan breaks down the 2026 penalty waiver (and who it actually applies to) and why freelancers, gig workers, landlords, and content creators might be filing the wrong tax forms.

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

XP Ng, CEO, Academy of Artificial Intelligence, shares about Agentic AI, how it promises systems that do not just generate responses, but execute real business tasks. Yet new data shows that only around 5 percent of enterprise AI agent projects have made it into production, with most stuck in prolonged pilot phases due to poor data, siloed organisations, and unclear governance.

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Lim Cheong Guan, Managing Director of Top Glove Corporation Bhd talks about whether the company is on the path to recovery, competition against Chinese players, impact of US tariffs and more.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

Raids, corruption probes and an import ban have put Malaysia’s e-waste trade in focus. Researcher Wong Pui Yi explains what’s happening, and what comes next.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Today I Learned

Who Is Ahead in The Cyberwarfare Race?

7:00 PM

Just For Kicks

8:00 PM

A Bit of Culture

PROGRAMMES