By Imran Ariff, Free Malaysia Today (28 May 2022)
PETALING JAYA: Subang MP Wong Chen has encouraged fresh graduates to only explore the gig economy if they’re unable to find full-time employment right away. But he warned against seeing it as a long-term career.
He said the gig economy was called as much for a reason, as “it’s supposed to be temporary, it shouldn’t be a full-time pursuit.”
“The gig economy is what most young people turn to, as an e-hailing driver or a delivery person.
“But I would definitely advise them not to take on the job for more than two years. If you graduate, or you just finish high school, you should look at a job that has growth potential over the long term.”
Wong added that it would be a waste of their education and would limit how much they can earn in the future as well.
He also advised youths not to stop pursuing the path they have been trained for, despite the impact of the pandemic on the employment market.
In terms of jobs that would be future-proof, he cited calls for increased automation to usher in the fourth industrial revolution.
“In the Malaysian context this would include work in data, e-commerce and engineering,” he said, adding that it also depended on the country.
In China, for example, Wong said that the growth of the consumer market meant jobs in marketing, sales and human resources will likely be very valuable in the years to come.