Malaysian Graduates Employability Challenges: A Critical Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21009/ISC-BEAM.011.22Keywords:
narrative review, graduates, employability, post pandemic, MalaysiaAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching implications for individuals, societies, and economies, disrupting established patterns in education, employment, and career trajectories. This paper explores a narrative review of the literature that studied the graduates’ employability post pandemic. Narrative review is suitable to be applied in this study, as it tends to achieve exploratory research where a new or emerging field is explored, providing holistic perspective in which a wide range of studies is summarized, consequently synthesizing diverse evidence that highlight the trends across various studies. This review highlights the multifaceted challenges facing Malaysian graduates, emphasizing the far-reaching circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic on graduates' employment dynamics. It underscores disparities in the quality of employment, wage gaps, and the vulnerability of workers in informal sectors. A range of factors impacting employability can be considered, including self-efficacy, curriculum support, employability skills development, and work placement learning. The study also explores the impact of postgraduate studies on employment prospects, gender disparities in employability skills, and the significance of soft skills and non-technical skills in aviation careers. Furthermore, it delves into how graduates' knowledge and soft skills development vary by education level and how emerging concepts like Industry 5.0 are reshaping the employment landscape. Confronting globalization and evolving labor market dynamics, graduates must embrace self-development and adaptability so forth meeting the changing needs of the job market.
References
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Hwa, M. a. C. (2015). Graduate Employability Awareness: A Gendered Perspective. Procedia -Social and Behavioral Sciences, 211, 192–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.083
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Kassa, E. T. (2022). Exploring Employability of Business Graduates: Evidence from Woldia University. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(2), 1033–1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-021-00856-0
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Luan, N. T., Nguyen, H. T., Nguyen, N. H., Nguyen, L. D., Nguyen, T. T. D., & Le, L. D. (2023). Factors affecting students’ career choice in economics majors in the COVID-19 post-pandemic period: A case study of a private university in Vietnam. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(2), 100338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100338
Männasoo, K., Pareliussen, J., & Saia, A. (2023). Digital Capacity and Employment Outcomes: Microdata Evidence from Pre-and Post-COVID-19 Europe. Telematics and Informatics, 83, 102024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102024
Mărgărint, M. C., Kovačić, S., Albulescu, A., & Miljković, Đ. (2023). Natural multi-hazard risk perception and educational insights among Geography and Tourism students and graduates amid the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 86, 103549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103549
Mayyas, F., & Alzoubi, K. H. (2022). Awareness and knowledge of manuscript writing and research integrity: A cross sectional survey among graduate students. Heliyon, 8(11), e11447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11447
Menon, M. E., Pashourtidou, N., Polycarpou, A., & Pashardes, P. (2012). Students’ expectations about earnings and employment and the experience of recent university graduates: Evidence from Cyprus. International Journal of Educational Development, 32(6), 805–813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.11.011
Mezhoudi, N., Alghamdi, R., Aljunaid, R., Krichna, G., & Düştegör, D. (2021). Employability prediction: a survey of current approaches, research challenges and applications. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 14(3), 1489–1505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-021-03276-9
Miani, P., Kille, T., Lee, S. Y., Zhang, Y., & Bates, P. R. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current tertiary aviation education and future careers: Students’ perspective. Journal of Air Transport Management, 94, 102081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2021.102081
Muhammad Asiff Rafani, Nur Ashma Hidayah, & Adnan Aminuddin. (2021). Graduate Employability Post-COVID 19: The Challenge for Malaysian Public University. In International Virtual Conference of Public Policy and Social Sciences (iVCPPS 2021). UiTM Institutional Repository. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/57033
Navío-Marco, J., Sanchez-Figueroa, C., & González, A. G. (2023). Business internships for bachelor’s degrees at blended learning universities: A pilot study to assess the transition from hybrid studies to the workplace. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(2), 100821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100821
Okolie, U. C. (2022). Work placement learning and students’ readiness for school-to-work transition: Do perceived employability and faculty supervisor support matter? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 139, 103805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103805
Padhi, B., & Sharma, H. (2023). Changing Contours of Growth and Employment in the Indian labour Market: A Sectoral Decomposition Approach. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 67, 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2023.08.004
Peebles, L. A., Aman, Z. S., Kraeutler, M. J., & Mulcahey, M. K. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of virtual fellowship interviews, reduced case volume, and limited sideline coverage opportunities during sports medicine surgeon training. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 5(3), e891–e895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asmr.2023.02.015
Rahman, N. H. A., Samad, K. A., & Phong, S. Y. (2022). A Review on Post COVID-19 Pandemic towards Tertiary Education and Graduate Employability in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business & Social Sciences, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i11/14860
Štalmachová, K. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment in transport and telecommunications sectors. Transportation Research Procedia, 55, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2021.06.009Striolo, A., Jones, A. P., & Styan, C. A. (2023). The Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary PostGraduate-Taught Program In Terms of Employability. Education for Chemical Engineers, 45, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2023.06.006
Tumpa, R. J., Chaudhry, G. M., Skaik, S., & Ham, M. (2023). Enhancing project management graduates’ employability through group assessment innovations: An empirical study. Project Leadership and Society, 4, 100084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2023.100084
Wang, P., Zhang, M., Wang, Y., & Yuan, X. (2023). Sustainable Career Development of Chinese Generation Z (Post-00s) Attending and Graduating from University: Dynamic Topic Model Analysis Based on Microblogging. Sustainability, 15(3), 1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031754
Yiu, C. Y., Ng, K. M., Yu, S. C. M., & Yu, C. W. (2022). Sustaining aviation workforce after the pandemic: Evidence from Hong Kong aviation students toward skills, specialised training, and career prospects through a mixed-method approach. Transport Policy, 128, 179–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.09.020
Bennett, D., Ananthram, S., Lindsay, S., Benati, K., & Jevons, C. (2022). Employability beliefs of business students by gender and year of study: Implications for higher education. The International Journal of Management Education, 20(2), 100654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2022.100654
Bolton-King, R. (2022). Student mentoring to enhance graduates’ employability potential. Science & Justice, 62(6), 785–794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2022.04.010
Chigbu, B. I., & Nekhwevha, F. (2022). Academic-faculty environment and graduate employability: variation of work-readiness perceptions. Heliyon, 8(3), e09117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09117
Dang, H., Nguyen, C., & Carletto, C. (2023). Did a successful fight against COVID-19 come at a cost? Impacts of the pandemic on employment outcomes in Vietnam. World Development, 161, 106129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.106129
Eimer, A., & Bohndick, C. (2023). Employability models for higher education: A systematic literature review and analysis. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100588
Fossatti, P., Jabbour, C. J. C., Ratten, V., Pereira, G. M., Borchardt, M., Milan, G. S., & Eberle, L. (2023). What do (should) we know to leverage students’ employability and entrepreneurship? A systematic guide to researchers and managers. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(2), 100788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100788
Galster, M., Mitrovic, A., Malinen, S., Holland, J., & Peiris, P. (2023). Soft skills required from software professionals in New Zealand. Information & Software Technology, 160, 107232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2023.107232
Grosemans, I., De Cuyper, N., Forrier, A., & Vansteenkiste, S. (2023). Graduation is not the end, it is just the beginning: Change in perceived employability in the transition associated with graduation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103915
Herbert, I., Rothwell, A., Glover, J., & Lambert, S. (2020). Graduate employability, employment prospects and work-readiness in the changing field of professional work. The International Journal of Management Education, 18(2), 100378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2020.100378
Hong, C., Soifer, I., Lee, H., Choi, E., & Ruetzler, T. (2023). Hospitality and tourism management student satisfaction with their majors and career readiness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality Leisure Sport & Tourism Education, 32, 100434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2023.100434
Hwa, M. a. C. (2015). Graduate Employability Awareness: A Gendered Perspective. Procedia -Social and Behavioral Sciences, 211, 192–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.083
Jahan, N., Sattar, N., Zeshan, M., & Tahir, M. A. (2016). How to conduct a systematic review: a narrative literature review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.864
Jingyi, L., Lim, B., Khairul Hanim Pazim, & Fumitaka Furuoka. (2021). Covid-19 Pandemic’s Impact on the Labour Market in ASEAN Countries. AEI Insights: An International Journal of Asia-Europe Relations, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.37353/aei-insights
Karmaker, C. L., Bari, A. M., Anam, M., Ahmed, T., Ali, S. M., De Jesus Pacheco, D. A., & Moktadir, M. (2023). Industry 5.0 challenges for post-pandemic supply chain sustainability in an emerging economy. International Journal of Production Economics, 258, 108806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108806
Kassa, E. T. (2022). Exploring Employability of Business Graduates: Evidence from Woldia University. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(2), 1033–1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-021-00856-0
Liang, X., Rozelle, S., & Yi, H. (2022). The impact of COVID-19 on employment and income of vocational graduates in China: Evidence from surveys in January and July 2020. China Economic Review, 75, 101832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101832
Luan, N. T., Nguyen, H. T., Nguyen, N. H., Nguyen, L. D., Nguyen, T. T. D., & Le, L. D. (2023). Factors affecting students’ career choice in economics majors in the COVID-19 post-pandemic period: A case study of a private university in Vietnam. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 8(2), 100338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100338
Männasoo, K., Pareliussen, J., & Saia, A. (2023). Digital Capacity and Employment Outcomes: Microdata Evidence from Pre-and Post-COVID-19 Europe. Telematics and Informatics, 83, 102024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102024
Mărgărint, M. C., Kovačić, S., Albulescu, A., & Miljković, Đ. (2023). Natural multi-hazard risk perception and educational insights among Geography and Tourism students and graduates amid the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 86, 103549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103549
Mayyas, F., & Alzoubi, K. H. (2022). Awareness and knowledge of manuscript writing and research integrity: A cross sectional survey among graduate students. Heliyon, 8(11), e11447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11447
Menon, M. E., Pashourtidou, N., Polycarpou, A., & Pashardes, P. (2012). Students’ expectations about earnings and employment and the experience of recent university graduates: Evidence from Cyprus. International Journal of Educational Development, 32(6), 805–813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2011.11.011
Mezhoudi, N., Alghamdi, R., Aljunaid, R., Krichna, G., & Düştegör, D. (2021). Employability prediction: a survey of current approaches, research challenges and applications. Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing, 14(3), 1489–1505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12652-021-03276-9
Miani, P., Kille, T., Lee, S. Y., Zhang, Y., & Bates, P. R. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on current tertiary aviation education and future careers: Students’ perspective. Journal of Air Transport Management, 94, 102081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2021.102081
Muhammad Asiff Rafani, Nur Ashma Hidayah, & Adnan Aminuddin. (2021). Graduate Employability Post-COVID 19: The Challenge for Malaysian Public University. In International Virtual Conference of Public Policy and Social Sciences (iVCPPS 2021). UiTM Institutional Repository. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/57033
Navío-Marco, J., Sanchez-Figueroa, C., & González, A. G. (2023). Business internships for bachelor’s degrees at blended learning universities: A pilot study to assess the transition from hybrid studies to the workplace. The International Journal of Management Education, 21(2), 100821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100821
Okolie, U. C. (2022). Work placement learning and students’ readiness for school-to-work transition: Do perceived employability and faculty supervisor support matter? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 139, 103805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103805
Padhi, B., & Sharma, H. (2023). Changing Contours of Growth and Employment in the Indian labour Market: A Sectoral Decomposition Approach. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 67, 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2023.08.004
Peebles, L. A., Aman, Z. S., Kraeutler, M. J., & Mulcahey, M. K. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of virtual fellowship interviews, reduced case volume, and limited sideline coverage opportunities during sports medicine surgeon training. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 5(3), e891–e895. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asmr.2023.02.015
Rahman, N. H. A., Samad, K. A., & Phong, S. Y. (2022). A Review on Post COVID-19 Pandemic towards Tertiary Education and Graduate Employability in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business & Social Sciences, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i11/14860
Štalmachová, K. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment in transport and telecommunications sectors. Transportation Research Procedia, 55, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2021.06.009Striolo, A., Jones, A. P., & Styan, C. A. (2023). The Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary PostGraduate-Taught Program In Terms of Employability. Education for Chemical Engineers, 45, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2023.06.006
Tumpa, R. J., Chaudhry, G. M., Skaik, S., & Ham, M. (2023). Enhancing project management graduates’ employability through group assessment innovations: An empirical study. Project Leadership and Society, 4, 100084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2023.100084
Wang, P., Zhang, M., Wang, Y., & Yuan, X. (2023). Sustainable Career Development of Chinese Generation Z (Post-00s) Attending and Graduating from University: Dynamic Topic Model Analysis Based on Microblogging. Sustainability, 15(3), 1754. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031754
Yiu, C. Y., Ng, K. M., Yu, S. C. M., & Yu, C. W. (2022). Sustaining aviation workforce after the pandemic: Evidence from Hong Kong aviation students toward skills, specialised training, and career prospects through a mixed-method approach. Transport Policy, 128, 179–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2022.09.020
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Published
2024-02-17
How to Cite
Beh, C. Y., & Wong, S. Y. (2024). Malaysian Graduates Employability Challenges: A Critical Review. International Student Conference on Business, Education, Economics, Accounting, and Management (ISC-BEAM), 1(1), 310–319. https://doi.org/10.21009/ISC-BEAM.011.22
