50% of Malaysian job seekers work in jobs below their educational level

Co-authored by Priya Sunil.

Companies around the world are trying their hand at attracting young talent in their own ways, with some even putting out whimsical job titles.

A School-to-Work Transition Survey, by Khazanah Research Institute, conducted in Malaysia, focused on detailing the transition from school to work.

The survey, which canvassed close to 24,000 respondents, was targeted at youth in upper secondary schools, youth in tertiary education, young job seekers, young workers and employers.

The research also identified some of the working preferences and habits of young workers which employers should be aware of in order to better manage their young talent pool:

A large majority of young workers working in unskilled jobs for which they are over-qualified

Due to the mismatch between jobs and the education level of workers, those with higher educational background than required would be considered over-educated and those with lower than required education level are under-educated for their jobs.

As a result, 95% of the job seekers end up in unskilled jobs with half of them being over-educated for their jobs. They are likely to earn less than they otherwise could have in jobs that matched their level of education.

The under-education of young workers would also have a negative impact on worker productivity and thus, on the output of the enterprise they are working for.

Infographics / Khazana Research Institute