CSPS gears up for unemployment study September deadline

THE CSPS "University Graduates and Employment" study is on the way to completion as the target date for a discussion forum is set for September which will involve relevant stakeholders with three different groups of sample graduates.

Senior Researcher at the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), Dr Diana Cheong, recently told reporters that they are in the "field work" stage and enough respondents have already answered the questionnaires.

Dr Cheong explained that the study will look at: unemployed graduates; graduated that are employed but not satisfied; and graduates that are properly employed.

"We are taking a sub-sample (of the study) and talking to stakeholders which mainly consist of major employers, government and non-government," she said, adding that they are looking at a way forward for education and training.

"We are interested in employment issues," said Dr Cheong, "for example, is there a mis-match in the employed or un-employed?"

Executive Director of CSPS Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail Hj Duraman questioned the government, which is one of the "major" job creators, as to which agency is actually responsible for job creation in the country.

"The Ministry of Finance provides all the budget, but is the demand matching anything the supply market has? Suppliers in the market can supply anything. So it's up to the government to provide a demand, but which agency is in charge of this?" he said.

Dr Cheong said that one of the biggest concerns of the study refers to the mindset of Brunei's younger generation. "As part of my study, we're looking at the entrepreneurial culture of young Bruneians. Whether or not youths are entrepreneurial enough for the challenges that may come in the future. Do they have the right attitude to be flexible, innovative and creative or are willing to take risks of the challenges that today or tomorrow bring?" she revealed.

Under the University Graduates and Employment study, CSPS will be gathering all these information from graduates to see whether or not there is a problem, and to define them.

"We are trying to look at it in terms of attitudes and mindset. So if there's a problem, how can we solve it?" she said.

CSPS Board of Directors Chairman Dato Paduka Hj Murni Hj Mohamed said it is imperative to address graduate unemployment and potential job mismatches. "It is urgent, that's why we are addressing it," he said, with regards to the issue.

The study CSPS is conducting is the biggest employment study to date, with a view to understanding the job satisfaction levels of Brunei's degree holders. To be carried out online, the survey study is expected to complete the picture of the country's labour status.

The sample will be drawn from Universiti Brunei Darussalam students and those who graduated abroad, as well as holders of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

The centre believe that the findings of the study would be crucial to policymakers as there has not been any study so far to find out how many graduates are employed or unemployed, and through CSPS, they can give a benchmark findings for policymakers. The Brunei Times