COMMENT | When the Prime Minister, Najib Abdul Razak Razak, announced that 1.8 million jobs (March 22, Bernama) were created from 2010 to 2016 under the National Transformation Programme, he seems oblivious of the actual perennial problem of youth unemployment.

Najib’s categorical announcement that “no Malaysian gets left behind” rings hollow when last week Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Annual Report of 2016 revealed that youth unemployment reached 10.7 percent in 2015, more than three times (3x) higher than the country’s unemployment rate of 3.1 percent (which arguably is a relatively good number).

The youth unemployment rate has outpaced the rest of the population by about six times (1.2 percentage point as compared to 0.2 percentage points). The data revealed that the unemployment rate was recorded at 42 percent among those 20-24 years in 2015, followed by those in the age group between 25-29 years at 20.4 percent and 15-19 years at 19 percent.

It also specifically pointed out that unemployment is especially pronounced amongst graduates. The unemployment rate among those with tertiary education is at 15.3 percent.

So what is happening, Mr Prime Minister? Stop pulling wool over the rakyat’s eyes with all your ‘magical numbers’ as you’re quite evidently ill-informed.

According to the report, youth represent more than half (61 percent) of the total unemployed workers, while only making up a third of the labour force currently.

This is indeed alarming and unsettling to say of the least. Its direct impact on the rise of social problems, namely involvement in drug and criminal activities, would be the visible consequences. The overall well-being of society would have have to be secured through increasing social and welfare programmes as to assist this critical group.

As is always explained, youth unemployment is a multi-factorial problem. The rationale of uneven growth between job creation and job-seekers, a mismatch of sorts in skillsets between demand and supply-side, has been unending but not much has been addressed apparently.

Besides, policy framework must go beyond skills and training development but also to put in place effective functioning feedback mechanism between the industry and educational institutions.

The suggestion for an intensive tripartite involvement of policymakers, educationists and private sectors employers to be instituted has time and again been repeated, but youth unemployment and underemployment is a still pernicious and a perennial problem. Sorry PM, you failed.

DZULKEFLY AHMAD is strategy director of Parti Amanah Negara and former Kuala Selangor MP.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.