Young gig workers encouraged to get other skill certification as backup, says minister

 Young gig workers encouraged to get other skill certification as backup, says minister

KOTA KINABALU: Youths in the gig-related workforce are encouraged to obtain certification to improve their resilience in the future, said Deputy Human Resources Minister Mustapha Sakmud. He said based on a study, it was found that there are school leavers who prefer to work in the gig economy rather than pursue further studies. The gig economy uses digital platforms to connect freelancers with customers to provide short-term services or asset sharing, such as ride-hailing and food delivery apps. While the ministry is not stopping anyone from being part of the gig economy, Mustapha reminded people that it may not be sustainable. "In terms of food delivery, for example, the service is less in demand compared to when movement was restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "If we become too dependent on the gig economy and it collapses, it may be too late for gig workers to acquire certification and find alternatives in the workforce," he said during a public talk series on the country's strategy to enhance careers among the younger generation at Universiti Malaysia Sabah here. To address such a situation, the ministry has been visiting secondary schools to raise awareness among students and explore ways to empower gig workers through social security schemes, upskilling, and certification. Mustapha also highlighted the need to reduce reliance on foreign workers, especially for difficult, dirty, and dangerous jobs. He suggested that other states emulate the Sarawak state labour department's strict policy of limiting foreign workers to 150,000 in the state to ensure local employment. In Sabah, the unemployment rate remained at 8.1 per cent last year, much higher than the national average unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent in the same year. Mustapha acknowledged that the country's average salary is still much lower than that of other countries, in part because some employers only fulfill the minimum wage requirement instead of considering workers' education qualifications. "As for the mission of having a 35 per cent highly skilled workforce in 2020, we are now ten years behind. "We have extended the targeted time to 2030, as we currently only have 28 per cent of skilled workers. We need to catch up on this," he added. Ends.