GEORGE TOWN, October 28 – Standing on the brink of a technological transformation buoyed by the fourth industrial revolution, science and technology have always been among the imperatives that open up tremendous opportunities for mankind. However, many have yet to come to realisation on the potential in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for the younger generation to explore and excel. The rise of gig economy, catapulted by the pandemic, is receiving positive responses from the workforce.
The instant reward and lifestyle flexibility that it offers are causing people to switch away from traditional jobs, which indirectly affect the uptake of STEM education among the students. On this note, gig economy is said to be transient as the mundane jobs will eventually be replaced by automation, which is a worrisome issue in paving a sustainable career path the future generations. Referring to TalentCorp’s website on the employment by skill level in Malaysia, the share of skilled employment is at 28.2%. Meanwhile, the share of semi-skill workers is at 59.9% and the share of low- skilled employment captured as the lowest, at 11.9%.
With the diminishing share of low-skilled employment offerings, low-skilled or unskilled workers is placed at risk in the future labour market while the specialised skills will be in high demand going forward. Thus, it appears that only menial works are left for the unskilled. On an additional note, based on Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the mean monthly salaries & wages of recipients in the skilled category stood at RM4,635 in 2020, which was nearly 3 times higher than RM1,587 received by low-skilled employees.
According to JobStreet’s Job Outlook Report 2022, the country’s top 5 industries in job advertisement volume turns out to be: manufacturing, computer/IT, retail & trade, banking & finance and electrical & electronics. The growing needs of future career offerings moving towards knowledge-based, high technologies and high value-added jobs bodes well for STEM education. The knowledge garnered in STEM can be applied across various fields, which in turns providing wider career options for job seekers.
