THE YEAR 2020 saw seismic shifts in the job market structure. Soon after the MCO was announced last March, unemployment rates in Malaysia jumped significantly from 3.3% in 2019 to 5.1% in Q2 of 2020 (Figure 1).
Penang did not escape unscathed either. Almost 5,500 workers lost their jobs between January and June; as of Q2 of 2020, the state’s unemployment rate is at 4.4% which more than doubles the 2.0% of 2019.
Young workers between 15-30 years old, who were already facing tough labour conditions pre-pandemic, saw windows for job opportunities shuttering even further – the unemployment rate for their age ...
To read the rest of the article and to access our e-Archive, subscribe to us for
RM150 a year.
Subscribe Sign in