The Malaysian Insight

YOUNG and educated, a husband and wife in Sg Buloh have resigned themselves to selling nasi lemak for a living. And they take no offence when Dr Mahathir Mohamad highlighted others like them as a failure of the country’s education system to prepare graduates for the job market.

Eddie Sulaiman, 30, and wife Shira Che Ismail have given up looking for a job suited to their educational background and decided to sell nasi lemak in Sg Buloh last September.

“What can we do when the opportunity is limited. The pay isn’t worth it. The job takes up almost 12 hours. There are also employers who do not appreciate (the employees).

“When Dr Mahathir spoke about graduates who sell nasi lemak or do Uber, I was not insulted at all. I felt as though I was defended because there is a leader who knows the people’s real situation,” said Eddie, who has a diploma in mechanical engineering and studied at the Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic school in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

“I have a diploma in engineering but it was very difficult to get a job when I applied in 2009. 

“I also tried working at an electrical company, but it shut down in 2015 because of the goods and services tax. After that, I worked at a business department but I only earned RM2,000. The place was far and petrol was expensive. What I earned was not worth it,” said Eddie.

The couple, who have one child and another on the way, now earn about RM2,000 monthly.

Though disappointed at being unable to find worthwhile work that matched their qualifications, they listed the benefits of selling nasi lemak for a living: no traffic jams to endure, no long working hours and no more bosses who overworked them.

“We sell (nasi lemak) from 7am until 11am. Only four hours. After that, we can spend more time with our family,” said Shira, who has a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam.

“Even if we furthered our studies, it still would not ensure a good salary. Can you imagine, I worked as a graphic designer with a monthly salary of RM1,200.

“I only had an increment of RM100 after a year,” she said.

The recent remarks on graduate unemployment by Dr Mahathir, who leads the opposition Pakatan Harapan, were spot-on for Eddie and Shira.

“They are forced to sell nasi lemak because they do not have job opportunities. We are training them to their full potential, not to be Uber drivers and nasi lemak sellers,” the former prime minister said.

Trade offs: Time v money

In August last year, Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh said nearly 55,000, or some 22%, of 236,137 graduates were jobless six months after completing their degrees.

Employment website Monster.com also reported that 36% of fresh graduates quit their jobs in their first year of joining the workforce for a range of reasons, including the high cost of living in Kuala Lumpur, which has pushed some to give up permanent employment at good firms in the capital for lower paying jobs in their hometowns.

Another nasi lemak seller in Sg Buloh felt that she made the right decision when she decided to quit her job as an assistant nurse at a private hospital five years ago.

“I worked long hours. It was difficult for me to get pregnant and I also had a miscarriage. I only earned about RM1,800 a month even after working for four years. It would not have been sufficient  for my children.

“Although selling nasi lemak is not as glamorous as working in an office and the income is low, I have time to enjoy my children growing right before my eyes,” said the mother of two who asked to be identified as Ina.

She agreed that it was hard for graduates to find jobs and stay employed as salaries did not match the long hours and cost of living.

“The cost of living is high these days, there are limited job opportunities and the salary is low. Youths are starting up their own businesses because the timing is more flexible,” she said.

Wage growth

Young graduates selling nasi lemak instead of working in the profession they were trained for was highlighted in 2016 when Siti Hajjar Ahmad, then 24, became popular on social media with her stall called Nasi Lemak Anak Dara.

Though she had a bachelor’s in medical electronic engineering, she said she sold nasi lemak to earn money while waiting for a job. 

When The Malaysian Insight caught up with her recently, she said she no longer operates her stall in Shah Alam and only takes catering orders for events.

Wages are growing, but still do not commensurate with the long hours put in a job.

According to economist Azrul Azwar Tajuddin, although the prices of goods will not increase drastically this year compared with last year, wages will not increase in tandem with the inflation rate.

Azrul, from Jasmiza Solutions consulting firm, estimated that the inflation rate in 2018 will be at an average below 3.5%.

Global management consulting firm, Korn Ferry Hay Group (Korn Ferry), meanwhile, is expecting the average salary in Malaysia is expected to grow by 3.2% in 2018. But these would mainly be in financial services, construction and property development and management industries.

An older nasi lemak seller, however, has some perspective for young graduates like Eddie, Shira and Ina after plying his trade for more than a decade.

Kamaruzaman Md Nor, 47, not only sells nasi lemak during the day but runs a burger stall at night.

His dream is to send his eldest daughter to university as he still sees education as the way to change one’s future. 

“After SPM, I did all kinds of work. I once worked at a factory in Shah Alam, but got laid off in 2003.

“Now I sell nasi lemak during the day and I open a burger stall at night. I want my daughter, who is sitting for SPM this year, to get a degree first, as I think it will be harder for her to get a job without an education,” he told The Malaysian Insight. – January 27, 2018.