Fresh Graduate Adversities: A Decade’s Insight on the Graduate Tracer Study

This working paper is part of KRI’s series of research for the Graduate Tracer Study and Employability (GTSE) project. The objective of this paper is to deepen the understanding of the issue surrounding the young fresh graduates’ labour market outcomes in Malaysia by analysing the Graduate Tracer Study (GTS) data collected by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) from 2010 to 2020. Our analysis observes that this group of the tertiary-educated workforce continue to face challenges in their transition from education to work, with differing effects depending on their demographic profiles, such as their qualification level, study field and family background. The analyses place a specific focus on issues surrounding low starting pay, the high incidences of overqualification, overall job dissatisfaction and the experiences in the job search process. The key findings highlight several policy implications that require further exploration towards addressing the numerous issues faced by young fresh graduates. Nonetheless, it cannot be viewed in isolation as there are also equally pressing structural issues that need to be addressed in parallel. We need to produce higher quality jobs that befit our graduates’ qualifications and skillset, in addition to preparing a workforce capable of withstanding the tough job market and also agile enough to respond to rapid changes in the job market.