UHMT Magazine

UHMT 1012 - SECTION 28



GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE SUCCESS



MAGAZINE
PREPARED BY :

NAME IC NUMBER MATRICS NUMBER

Shahaarupa a/p 000720-01-1198 A21BS5026
Jambu Genga

Nur Nadhirah bt 020125-10-0346 A21EB0063
Shafiq

Muhammad 020124-01-1763 A21BS0064
Husain Bin
Muhammad Adam
Ganeshraj

Chew Ch
in Kah 021118-0
4-0474 A21BS
0018

PREPARED FOR: PROF MADYA DR MAISARAH
MOHAMED SAAT

WORLD

how to survive in the new norm?



THE CHALLENGES FACED BY
GRADUATES IN POST COVID 19
THE
EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT
IN POST COVID 19
THE KEY ATTRIBUTES TO SURVIVE
IN POST COVID 19
HOW TO POLISH GRADUATE
ATTRIBUTES TO EXCEL IN THE
WORKPLACE ?

Table of Contents

Introduction

Contents:

Topic 1:
The challenges faced by
graduates in post covid 19




Topic 2:
The
employment/unemployment in
post covid 19

Topic 3:
The key attributes to survive in post
covid 19




Topic 4:
How to polish graduate attributes
to excel in the workplace




Conclusion

Reference
Appreciation

INTRODUCTION

THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) FIRST OCCURRED IN WUHAN, CHINA IN DECEMBER 2019 AND THE
RAPID SPREAD OF COVID-19 CALLED THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) TO DECLARE IT AS PANDEMIC ON 11

MARCH 2020 (WHO, 2020; KAPASIA ET AL., 2020). SINCE ITS OUTBREAK, UNIVERSITIES ALL AROUND THE WORLD
HAVE TO SHUT DOWN THEIR CAMPUSES SO THAT STUDENTS COULD FOLLOW SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES

(TOQUERO, 2020) AND COVID-19 HAS POSED A THREAT TO BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH AMONG SOCIETIES
AS WELL AS UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (KHAN ET AL., 2020; MPUNGOSE, 2020). THEREFORE, EDUCATION AT ALL
LEVELS, INCLUDING BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND

POSTGRADUATE LEVEL, HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED AND HAD INTERRUPTED THE LEARNING OF MORE
THAN ONE BILLION STUDENTS IN 129 COUNTRIES AROUND THE GLOBE (MOSTAFA, 2020; UNESCO, 2020).



MANY UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE EITHER POSTPONED OR CANCELLED ALL CAMPUS ACTIVITIES TO
MINIMIZE GATHERINGS AND THEREFORE HELP TO DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE PANDEMIC (MAHDY, 2020).
MOST COUNTRIES HAVE STOPPED FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING (UNESCO IESALC, 2020) AND CURRENTLY REPLACING IT

WITH ONLINE SOLUTIONS WHEREVER PRACTICABLE (GONZALEZ ET AL., 2020) WHICH HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING
TASK TO DO (MAHMOOD, 2020). MANY AREAS ARE AFFECTED WORLDWIDE AND THERE IS A FEAR OF LOSING THIS

WHOLE ONGOING SEMESTER OR EVEN MORE IN THE COMING FUTURE (DHAWAN, 2020).



THE FIRST COVID-19 POSITIVE CASE WAS DETECTED IN MALAYSIA ON 24 JANUARY 2020. AFTER THAT, THE NUMBER
OF CASES INCREASED IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS (DAWOOD ET AL., 2020). CURRENTLY, AS OF 12 JANUARY 2021,
MALAYSIA HAS REPORTED 141,533 CASES AND 559 DEATH CASES (MINISTRY OF HEALTH MALAYSIA, 2021). ON 18

MARCH 2020, A NATIONWIDE ‘MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER’ (MCO) AIMED TO CONTROL THE PANDEMIC WAS
DECLARED, FOLLOWED BY ENHANCED MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER (EMCO) ON 27 MARCH 2020 AT THE AFFECTED
LOCATIONS, SEMI ENHANCED MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER (SEMCO) ON 14 MAY 2020, CONDITIONAL MOVEMENT

CONTROL ORDER (CMCO) ON 1 MAY 2020, AND
RECOVERY MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDER (RMCO) PHASE WHICH STARTED ON 10 JUNE 2020 AND SCHEDULED TO 31
DECEMBER 2020. RECENTLY, THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED THAT THE RMCO WILL BE EXTENDED UNTIL 31

MARCH 2021 AND ANOTHER MCO TO SEVERAL STATES IN MALAYSIA FROM 13 JANUARY 2021 FOR TWO WEEKS.



ACCORDING TO KAPASIA ET AL. (2020), THE CLOSURE OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC
OUTBREAKS HAS LED TO AN UNPRECEDENTED IMPACT ON EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC SURVIVAL AMONG STUDENTS.

HUSSIIN (2020) ASSERTED THAT COVID-19 HAS INDEED AFFECTED STUDENTS IN MULTIPLE ASPECTS, INCLUDING
FINANCIAL, ACADEMIC, TIME MANAGEMENT, AND HEALTH. ARISTOVNIK ET AL. (2020) STATED THAT STUDENTS ARE

AMONG THE POPULATION GROUPS THAT HAD EXPERIENCED DRAMATIC EFFECTS OF THE FIRST WAVE OF THE
PANDEMIC IN THE FIRST 4 OR 5 MONTHS OF 2020, AND THEREFORE CAUSING HUGE CHANGES TO THEIR EVERYDAY
LIVES, AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE ALARMINGLY, TO THE PROSPECTS OF THEIR IMMEDIATE AND DISTANT FUTURE.
THE END DATE OF THE PANDEMIC IS YET TO BE DISCOVERED, THEREFORE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AROUND THE

WORLD HAVE DECIDED TO USE
AVAILABLE TECHNICAL RESOURCES TO CREATE ONLINE LEARNING MATERIALS FOR STUDENTS FROM ALL
ACADEMIC FIELDS (KAUR, 2020). THIS NOT ONLY FACILITATE STUDENTS TO STUDY ANYTIME, BUT ALSO TO GET
FEEDBACK IMMEDIATELY (CHYR ET AL., 2017). MOREOVER, THE ONLINE PLATFORM WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO
ENCOURAGE ACADEMIC STAFFS TO CONTINUE THEIR GIVE-AND-TAKE ACTIONS TO KEEP THE DYNAMIC SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT FOR ONLINE LEARNING DEVELOPMENT (KONG,

2019). As an emergency measure to reduce the spread of the pandemic, most higher education institutions in Malaysia are
closed and they are limiting the number of student admissions. Currently, the process of teaching and learning are done
online until a time that will be determined later by
the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) (Shahzad et al., 2020).


To date, only a few studies have been conducted on the effects of COVID-19 towards educational issues in Malaysia. For
instance, there are studies about online teaching and learning for tertiary education (Chung et al., 2020; Nik-Ahmad-Zuky

et al., 2020; Salleh et al., 2020), perception of e-learning (Ana et al., 2020),psychological impact among university students
(Sundarasen et al., 2020) and online purchase intention among university students (Al-Hassani et al., 2020). However,
studies focusing on postgraduate students in Malaysia is yet to be conducted. According to Grubic et al. (2020), studies

investigating the impact of COVID-19 on students are notably needed. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the impact of
academic survival among postgraduate students in Malaysia. The finding of this study is

expected to extend the current literature and to provide insights for Malaysian higher education institutions in assisting
postgraduate students in times like this in the future.



In the first half of 2020, people around the world found themselves facing an invisible enemy in the form of COVID-19.
This pandemic forced the majority of people to change many of their cultural routines, including daily life routines and
practices, ranging from personal practices to organizational and outdoor or public practices. Many countries have imposed
dramatic changes in policies to force compliance to their rules and regulations in an effort to protect their communities
from becoming victims of this pandemic and to ensure the continuation of high levels of productivity and performance .



One of the most important organizations to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is
the university in its role as a key higher education institution, as it is among the most
important service sectors and its students represent the potential future workforce. Some university students have
experience and a long history in dealing with online distance learning (ODL) platforms to engage with learning activities,
while others do not. Regardless of their experience of e-learning platforms or ability to use these emerging information
technologies in their education journey, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the extent to which both academics and
students are prepared to adopt and use these technologies in their online learning activities . Consequently, many
university students during the COVID-19 period had no alternative but to deal with advanced online information and
communication technologies (ICT) to accomplish their learning activities and follow up with their instructors in a safe

manner in order to ensure social distancing was
maintained. It is undeniable that ICT applications enhanced by internet technologies have proven to be powerful tools and

have played a significant role in the speedy development
of e-learning [4]. Nevertheless, the sudden adoption of these online services during the pandemic may have some negative

effects on students’ lives, as there are a number of issues that may hamper and demotivate many students during the
learning process.

The challenges faced by graduates in post COVID-19

The present paper will begin by reviewing the relevant situation of the COVID-19
outbreak up to this point, then move on to focus on higher education institutions in
Malaysia and review their response. It will then
go on to explain this paper’s methodology and
then discuss the results, which will demonstrate how pupils of higher education institutions
react and perceive the online learning platforms they have been asked to use. Finally, this
research will develop a conceptual model that will motivate students to use these online


learning platforms in a healthy, sustainable manner.



Subsequently, Malaysia announced its fifirst detected case of COVID-19 on the 25th of January
2020 with a Chinese tourist. On the 4th of February 2020, Malaysia confirmed the first case in a

Malaysian citizen, a 41-year-old man infected by COVID-19 . On the 16th of March 2020, the
number of positive COVID-19 cases reached 553, and Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin announced the first Movement Control Order (MCO). This would be in force from 18 March

to 31 March 2020 and was intended to reduce the rapid spread of COVID-19 .
The unexpected orders from many governments around the world to follow lockdown and the
different phases of the MCO created anxiety and panic. COVID-19 spread rapidly and created a

panic among the public that directly affected many businesses and organization systems,
including the education system. Subsequently, on the 27th of May 2020, the Higher Education
Ministry in Malaysia declared that all teaching and learning activities in all universities and other
higher education centres must be conducted online until the 31st of December 2020, while they
would wait to make a decision regarding 2021. Only a few exceptions were allowed, and strict

rules were put in place in order to prevent another COVID-19 outbreak .



Yet, this decision by the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry still functioning until March 2021 to
ensure social and physical distancing is performed during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, a
number of challenges and negative experiences can be triggered by the sense of such physical,
emotional, and social distance from others. As reported by Philippe et al. (2020) , both students

and instructors, when applying social and physical distancing, discover unexpected facts about
each other, which might lead to an unexpected and unsatisfactory relationship. In particular,
students can suddenly recognize the limits and limitations of their lecturers, particularly with
regard to the use of technologies and addressing problems with time management. This could

deteriorate social belonging and learning process and undermine students’ sustainable learning
and wellbeing .



It is not easy to adopt or adapt to online learning in response to a sudden pandemic such as
COVID-19 without encountering many problems and challenges. Researchers have recently
reported that academic staff and students are both facing multiple obstacles in conducting ODL

using ICT platforms . These obstacles may include issues such as unfamiliarity with the
information technology platforms used; limited internet access , insufficient experience in
dealing with online learning platforms in terms of student participation, interactivity, and
engagement; lack of a process to assess online learning outcomes and lack of experience in
developing online course content or transforming courses from offline to online modes. Other
challenges are relevant to university culture, such as low levels of positive engagement during

online classes by students, and socially depressed learners. In this regard, the following

SECTIONS OF THIS STUDY WILL HIGHLIGHT THE ONLINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE
EMERGED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE IMPACT OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES. IT
WILL ALSO EXAMINE AND ANALYSE THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THESE STUDENTS.


TEACHING AND LEARNING FROM HOME

REGARDING THE SHIFT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING FROM A SCHOOL-ORIENTED PROCESS TO
A VIRTUAL PLATFORM THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING FROM HOME (MMOE, 2020A), HAMZAH IN

TAHIR & NOORZALI (2020) REPORTED THAT MOST OF THE TEACHERS WERE INITIATED INTO
THE CONCEPT OF ONLINE LEARNING THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SEKOLAH BESTARI

(SMART SCHOOLS). SEVERAL ISSUES WERE DISCUSSED AT THE TIME, SUCH AS LIMITED
APPLICATIONS AND THE LACK OF TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURES AND INTERNET
ACCESS. FURTHERMORE, KAMARUDIN ET AL. (2020) PERCEIVED OPEN COMMUNICATION TO BE

AN UNDER-UTILIZED
DIMENSION BY TEACHERS, AS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) WAS NOT FULLY APPLIED DUE

TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.



HENCE, UNESCO (2020) SUGGESTED THAT TEACHERS BE GIVEN IMMEDIATE TRAINING TO
ENABLE FAMILIARIZATION WITH ONLINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES INVOLVING CONTENT,
PEDAGOGICAL METHODS, BASIC TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES, FREE INTERNET DATA, EDUCATION

MATERIALS, AND PEER GUIDANCE IN MEETING STUDENTS’ NEEDS. BESIDES, VIRTUAL
TEACHING AND LEARNING FROM HOME WAS A COMPLEX TASK REQUIRING STRONG
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FROM TEACHERS, PARENTS, GUARDIANS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS,
AND STUDENT MOTIVATION TO TRACK THE CONTINUANCE OF LEARNING AND THE STUDENTS’
PROGRESS IN REACHING OPTIMUM RESULTS AS IN PHYSICAL CLASSROOMS (KHALID, & QUICK,

2016), PARTICULARLY IN THE WAKE OF THIS PANDEMIC.



UTILIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT
LEOW ET AL. (2020) REPORTED THAT ONLINE DISCUSSIONS IMPACTED STUDENTS
DIFFERENTLY.FOR EXAMPLE, THE INDIRECT EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND EXPERIENCES
COULD INDUCE A SENSE OF BELONGING AND COMMUNAL ENGAGEMENT (NASIR ET AL., 2018A;
NASIR ET AL., 2018B), WHEREAS AN INDIRECT MEETING ABSOLVED STUDENTS’ FEAR IN
CONTRIBUTING INFORMATION. NEVERTHELESS, SOME STUDENTS COULD NOT REALIZE THESE
VALUES IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE DISCUSSION PROVED TOO OVERWHELMING, EMOTIONAL,
OR LACKED PROFESSIONALISM. ON ANOTHER NOTE, ONLINE METHODS WERE PERCEIVED TO

LIMIT THE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO
POSE QUESTIONS. THE SYNCHRONIZED NATURE OF ONLINE DISCUSSIONS WAS DEEMED
INAPPROPRIATE IN MEETING EVERY INDIVIDUAL’S NEEDS IN A GROUP. A SIMILAR SITUATION
WAS DISCUSSED BY SIMPSON (2018), STATING THAT STUDENTS WHO COPED WELL WITH THE
FLOW OF DISCUSSION WOULD INADVERTENTLY POSE A THREAT TO OTHERS WHO MAY FEEL

EXCLUDED AND LOSE SELF-CONFIDENCE (NASIR ET AL., 2018A; NASIR ET AL., 2018B).
THEREFORE, TEACHERS WERE ENCOURAGED TO EXPLAIN THE LEARNING SCHEDULE PRIOR TO

CLASS HOURS AND PROVIDE THE NECESSARY MATERIALS TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE, AS
STUDENTS MOSTLY RELIED ON

SELF-STUDY TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES IN ONLINE CLASSES (ROVAI & DOWNEY, 2010),
ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC (WISNESKI ET AL., 2017).


EDUCATIONAL APPLICATION AND ATTITUDE

WITH THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AT THE PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY
LEVELS OF THE EDUCATION SECTOR, THE ADVENT OF VARIOUS CURRENT EDUCATIONAL

TECHNOLOGIES DID NOT REQUIRE THE PHYSICAL OCCURRENCE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING,
PARTICULARLY IN CURRENT TIMES. AS SUCH, THE UNITED NATIONS' SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL

ORGANIZATIONS RECOMMENDED THE USE OF DIVERSE TECHNOLOGIES TO ENABLE THE
CONTINUITY OF LEARNING

DESPITE THE CONSTRAINTS POSED BY THE PANDEMIC NATIONWIDE. TEACHERS COULD USE
ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORMS TO TEACH, INTERACT, AND PROVIDE VIRTUAL TRAINING
SESSIONS (ALI & NASIR, 2019; MIN & NASIR, 2020), AS MANY STUDENTS CURRENTLY HAVE
ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT AT HOME, HENCE RESULTING IN THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL LEARNING IN MALAYSIA (JIDIN, 2020).


THE TYPE OF ONLINE PLATFORM USED ALSO RAISED CONCERNS AMONG TEACHERS AND
STUDENTS, SUCH AS INFORMATION DELIVERY PLATFORMS, THE SHARING OF MATERIALS,

TRAINING PROVIDED TO STUDENTS, DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS, EDITING AUDIO AND
VIDEO FILES, AND SLIDESHOWS USED IN THE TEACHINGLEARNING PROCESS DURING THE
COVIC-19 PANDEMIC. BESIDES, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF E-LEARNING INTRODUCED

ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION,
WHICH INCLUDED ALL THE FORMS OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN TEACHING AND
LEARNING. E-LEARNING ALSO ENHANCED STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING AND PROVIDED

DEVELOPMENT IN IT SKILLS, SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO INFORMATION
(ALI & NASIR, 2019). LEOW ET AL. (2020) REPORTED THAT STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED TO

PARTICIPATE IN ONLINE GROUP ASSIGNMENTS BASED ON EASY ACCESS TO MATERIALS AND
INFORMATION. IN THIS REGARD, STUDENTS MAY FACE DIFFICULTIES IN IMPLEMENTING ONLINE

LEARNING DUE TO MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDERS (MCO) AND THE CURRENT CRITICAL
SITUATION.



GROUP WORK
DURING THE MCO IN MALAYSIA FROM MARCH 13 TO CURB THE SPREAD OF THE COVID-19
OUTBREAK, ALL THE STUDENTS WERE ORDERED TO ATTEND VIRTUAL CLASSES FROM HOME.
NONETHELESS, SEVERAL CHALLENGES WERE FOUND IN E-LEARNING FROM HOME, AS SOME
SUBJECT MATTERS REQUIRED ELABORATION, ESPECIALLY IN THE FORM OF COMPLEX TASKS
NEEDING CAREFUL EXPLANATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS BY OTHER TEAM MEMBERS. AS THE
COVID-19 THREAT REQUIRED THE MAINTAINING OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING TO REDUCE

INFECTION RATES, THE MCO PERIOD ALLOWED GROUP MEMBERS TO EXPLORE THE
UTILIZATION OF POTENTIAL MATERIALS IN FULFILLING THE ASSIGNED TASKS AND IDENTIFYING

THE CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN A NOVEL EXPERIENCE, SUCH AS VIRTUAL GROUPS. HENCE,
INDIVIDUALS’ MENTAL PREPARATION, ABILITY, AND RESOURCES WERE THE DETERMINANT

FACTORS IN EXECUTING ASSIGNED TASKS .
BESIDES, STUDENTS FACED PROBLEMS REGARDING TIME CONSTRAINTS, WITH INSUFFICIENT

TIME TO COMPREHEND THE ASSIGNED TASKS DUE TO LIMITED INTERNET ACCESS, THUS
PRESENTING A BARRIER IN

ACCESSING INFORMATION AND TASK COMPLETION WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME. THUS,
EFFECTIVE LEARNING METHODS COULD BE HIGHLIGHTED BY CREATING AN EFFECTIVE

LEARNING SCHEDULE TO COMPLETE TASKS .



PREPAREDNESS IN EDUCATION
THE SUCCESS OR FAILURE OF HOMEWORK COMPLETION DEPENDED ON STUDENTS’
COMMITMENT, SPECIFICALLY DURING THE MCO PERIOD (MMOE, 2020A; 2020B). HENCE,
STUDENTS NEEDED TO SHOW COMMITMENT TO COMPLETING HOMEWORK AND PROVIDE
FEEDBACK TO CLASSMATES. DURING THIS PERIOD, STUDENTS NEEDED TO BE HIGHLY
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ENTRUSTED WORK AS A MEASURE OF INTEGRITY AND ETHICS,
SUBSEQUENTLY INCULCATING SELF-DISCIPLINE WHILE AT HOME WITHOUT PROCRASTINATION
AND MOLDING STRONG, DISCIPLINED, AND TRUSTWORTHY INDIVIDUALS. FURTHERMORE,

STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO THE HOME
ENVIRONMENT IS CRUCIAL, INCLUDING THE TYPE OF EQUIPMENT UTILIZED AT HOME. FOR

EXAMPLE, USING LAPTOPS FOR TYPING, COMMUNICATING, SUBMITTING IMPORTANT
DOCUMENTS, ACCESSING THE INTERNET, AND HAVING A DEDICATED STUDY SPACE

SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED STUDENTS’ HOMEWORK

PERFORMANCE. ADDITIONALLY, THE INTERNET IS A CRITICAL SOURCE OF ACCESS DURING
THIS PERIOD, AS THE NEED FOR HIGH-SPEED DATA ACCESS IMPACTED EDUCATIONAL

PERFORMANCE AT HOME. FOR EXAMPLE, A SLOW NETWORK WOULD AFFECT THE ASSIGNED
WORK. IN THE MCO CONTEXT, THE KEY FACTOR ENABLING TASK PERFORMANCE AT HOME
WAS DIGITAL COMMUNICATION AND IT SKILLS. OTHER FACTORS INCLUDE APPROPRIATE

WORKSPACES WITH DESKS, ERGONOMIC CHAIRS, AND ADEQUATE LIGHTING. BACKGROUND
IMAGES AND VOICE

CLARITY ALSO NEEDED CONSIDERATION WHEN PARTICIPATING IN VIDEO PRESENTATIONS,
AS STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN GROUP WORK.

THIS IS AN ARTICLE FROM GOOGLE .

THAT WAS THEN, THE SITUATION HAS IMPROVED SLIGHTLY AND NOW THE BUSINESSES,
OFFICES AND SCHOOLS ARE OPEN BUT WITH STRICT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

(SOPS) IMPOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT.HOW ABOUT THE STRUGGLE OF THE FRESH
GRADUATES WHO RECEIVED THEIR SCROLLS IN 2020 IN SEEKING JOBS? EVEN THOUGH THERE

ARE SOME JOBS ON OFFER CURRENTLY, MOST ORGANISATIONS OR COMPANIES ARE ONLY
HIRING THOSE WHO HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, WITH A CAVEAT “FRESH GRADUATES ARE
WELCOMED TO APPLY”.
EMPLOYERS REQUIRE CANDIDATES TO PROVIDE A CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) FOR JOB
APPLICATIONS.

SINCE MALAYSIA HAD GONE THROUGH SEVERAL TYPES OF MOVEMENT CONTROL ORDERS
LAST YEAR, THE GRADUATING STUDENTS OF 2020 WERE UNABLE TO GET INVOLVED WITH

ACTIVITIES TO GET RECOGNITION AND EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR CV.
IN ADDITION, THERE WERE FEWER JOB OFFERS BECAUSE OF THE BATTERED ECONOMY. EVEN
FOR A TOP STUDENT WHO GRADUATED WITH HONOURS, WITHOUT WORK EXPERIENCE, THE

PICKINGS ARE SCARCE.
MOST COMPANIES AND ORGANISATIONS SEARCHING FOR POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES IMPOSE A
PREREQUISITE OF PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE. IT’S USUALLY ONE TO FIVE YEARS DEPENDING

ON THE POSITION OFFERED.
WITH THE INCREASE OF UNEMPLOYMENT FROM THE PRE-COVID WORKFORCE, FRESH
GRADUATES FACE THE INEVITABLE HANDICAP OF NO WORK EXPERIENCE IN A SEA OF

TRADITIONALLY, FRESH GRADUATES WOULD BE ATTRACTIVE TO EMPLOYERS DUE TO THE
LOWER EXPECTATION IN REMUNERATION. HOWEVER, THIS PANDEMIC HAS FORCED MANY
RETRENCHED WORKERS TO SETTLE FOR LOWER PAY JUST TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AND

THE EMPLOYERS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS.
THIS LEAVES THE FRESH GRADUATES WHO WERE OFTEN TOLD WHILE GROWING UP, THAT A
DEGREE WOULD SECURE THEM THEIR DREAM JOBS, UTTERLY LEFT IN THE DARK. MOST WILL
GET INTO PART-TIME JOBS OR EVEN FULL EMPLOYMENT IN FIELDS TOTALLY UNRELATED TO

WHAT THEY HAD STUDIED HARD FOR.
THE GRADUATES ARE ALSO LEFT WITH MASSIVE STUDY LOANS TO SERVICE WHILE

SCRAMBLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
WERE THE PROMISES OF A BETTER LIFE WITH PROPER EDUCATION A MERE LIP SERVICE AT
THE EXPENSE OF HOPEFUL STUDENTS AND PARENTS? WHAT IS THE TRUE PRICE OF THE LITTLE

SCROLL THAT WE ARE SO PROUD OF?
THE SITUATION WE FACE NOW MAY BE THE RESULT OF THE FALSE PROMISES EMBEDDED IN

OUR MINDS JUST TO TURN HIGHER EDUCATION INTO A MONEY CHURNING INDUSTRY.
LUCKILY, THERE ARE ORGANISATIONS OUT THERE THAT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM AND
OFFER INTENSIVE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WITH PAY FOR FRESH GRADUATES TO GIVE THEM A

HEAD START AND PICK THEM UP FROM WHERE THE UNIVERSITIES LEFT THEM STRANDED.

THIS GIVES THE GRADUATES THE REQUIRED WORK EXPERIENCE TO MOVE ON TO THEIR
PREFERRED VOCATION.

THE PANDEMIC THAT HAS HIT THE WORLD BY STORM HAS TAUGHT US A LOT IN THE LAST 12
MONTHS. WE HOPE THAT THE POWERS THAT BE WILL TAKE HEED OF THE DIFFICULTIES FRESH
GRADUATES FACE AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE TO

PROVE THEMSELVES IN THE REAL WORLD.
UNLESS THE POLITICIANS GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER AND CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS

INSTEAD OF THEMSELVES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUFFER.

THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM RESPONDENTS TO THE QUESTIONNAIRE USED
IN THIS STUDY CAN BE SEEN IN TABLE 1 BELOW. OF THE PARTICIPANTS, 52.5% WERE MALE AND 47.5% WERE FEMALE,

WHILE 48.7% OF ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE BETWEEN 21 AND 23 YEARS, WHICH MAKES UP THE LARGEST GROUP. IN
CONTRAST, THE SMALLEST PERCENTAGE, 10.5%, WERE 28 YEARS AND ABOVE. ABOUT 79% OF THE PARTICIPANTS

HAD A BACHELOR’S DEGREE, WHICH REPRESENTS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS, WHILE FEWER
PARTICIPANTS POSSESSED OTHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION. PARTICIPANTS FROM PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES MAKE UP 92%

OF THE SAMPLE, COMPARED TO 8% OF PARTICIPANTS FROM PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES. AS THIS STUDY WAS
CONDUCTED IN MALAYSIA, THE TABLE SHOWS THAT 76% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE MALAYSIAN WHILE 24% WERE

FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.
CHALLENGES RELEVANT TO ONLINE TEACHING AND TECHNICAL ISSUES.THIS SECTION DISCUSSES THE RESULTS
WHICH RELATE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AND ONLINE LEARNING CHALLENGES. THIS SECTION HAS THREE MAIN SUB

THEMES, WHICH ARE SUMMARIZED IN FIGURE 1 BELOW:

FIGURE 2. STUDENTS OVERLOAD FEELING AND CAUSES DURING ONLINE COURSES. A: STUDENTS’ OVERLOAD
FEELING; B: CAUSES OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD DURING ONLINE COURSES.

FIGURE 3. NUMBER OF HOURS STUDENTS SPENT USING A COMPUTER BEFORE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
FIGURE 4. NUMBER OF HOURS STUDENTS SPENT USING A COMPUTER DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

FIGURE 5. STUDENTS WHO FELT STRESS DURING COVID-19.
THE PROBLEM IS STRESS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST IMPORTANT PHENOMENA DISCUSSED
BY SCHOLARS TODAY, AND IT HAS BECOME OF GREATER CONCERN DURING THE PANDEMIC DUE TO THE STRONG
LINKS BETWEEN STRESS AND THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK. THIS IS BECAUSE THE PANDEMIC HAS LED TO WIDESPREAD
CONCERNS REGARDING THE INCREASE IN ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG INDIVIDUALS ALL OVER THE WORLD.THIS
STUDY IS CONCERNED WITH EXPLORING STUDENTS’ VIEWS ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS OF STRESS DURING THE COVID-
19 PERIOD AND THE REASONS FOR THEIR STRESS. THIS CONCERN COMES FROM THE FACT THAT POOR HEALTH IS
SOMETIMES STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER STRESS AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT CAUSED BY HIGH

LEVELS OF STRESS AMONG INDIVIDUALS.



FIGURE 6. CAUSES OF STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
AS FIGURE 6 SHOWS, STUDENTS USING DIFFERENT ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORMS DURING COVID-
19 ARE EXPERIENCING FIVE MAJOR SOURCES OF STRESS: (1) MORE THAN 62% OF RESPONDENTS REPORT PRESSURE

FROM HAVING TOO MANY ONLINE TASKS INCLUDED IN THESE PLATFORMS; (2)

LIMITED AND WEAK INTERNET CONNECTION AS STATED BY MORE THAN 51% OF THE RESPONDENTS; (3) MORE THAN
51% OF STUDENTS REPORTED UNFAMILIARITY WITH THE STUDY ENVIRONMENT AND “NEW NORMAL” STUDY

PRACTICES IN THEIR HOME; (4) 37.3% OF STUDENTS REPORTED STRESS DUE TO INADEQUATE RESOURCES RELEVANT
TO SUBJECTS THEY ARE LEARNING; AND (5) 20.4% OF STUDENTS WORRIED THEY MAY BECOME VICTIMS OF COVID-19.



FINANCIAL STRESS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
THIS PANDEMIC HAS PUT STUDENTS IN A VERY CHALLENGING FINANCIAL SITUATION BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL
MANY WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO MANAGE UNEXPECTED EXPENSES, RESULTING IN MOST OF THE POSTGRADUATE
STUDENTS TO MANAGE THEIR POCKET MONEY WISELY. FINANCIAL PLANNING IS INDEED CRUCIAL FOR THE STUDENTS

TO ENSURE THEIR ACADEMIC SURVIVAL
(HUANG, 2016). LEARNING AND RESEARCH PROCESS MIGHT BE DISRUPTED IF THE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE FINANCIAL

PROBLEMS (BAKAR ET AL., 2019). MOREOVER, THE POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO
EXPERIENCE STRESS WHEN FACED WITH FINANCIAL PROBLEMS (ASRI ET AL., 2017). ON TOP OF THAT,

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS NEED TO PLAN THEIR EXPENSES DUE TO ACADEMIC RELATED FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS
SUCH AS TUITION FEES, BOOKS, INTERNET DATA, AND RESEARCH MATERIALS, THEREFORE ENCOURAGING

POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS TO BE FINANCIALLY WISE DURING THE PANDEMIC. THIS IS IMPORTANT SO THAT THEY
WILL NOT EXPERIENCE ANY FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE (FALAHATI ET AL., 2011).




GLOBAL IMPACT


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY :

COVID-19 IS HAVING A PROFOUND AND DAMAGING IMPACT ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. MANY COUNTRIES ARE
REPORTING DRAMATIC RISES IN LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT. THERE IS CONCERN THAT THESE CHANGES ARE HAVING

A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE. THIS REPORT EXPLORES HOW THESE ECONOMIC CHANGES ARE
IMPACTING ON GRADUATE RECRUITMENT IN 21 COUNTRIES. FINDINGS ARE BASED ON RESPONSES TO AN

INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR EVIDENCE ABOUT THE GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET UNDER COVID-19. RESPONDENTS TO
THE CALL WERE TYPICALLY CEOS OR HEADS OF RESEARCH FROM EMPLOYER ASSOCIATIONS, SENIOR HIGHER

EDUCATION CAREERS PROFESSIONALS OR EMPLOYERS. ALL ARE OFFERING A SUBJECTIVE, BUT INFORMED, OPINION
ON THE SITUATION. THE KEY TRENDS THAT EMERGED ARE AS FOLLOWS:


• COVID-19 MATTERS EVERYWHERE AND IT MATTERS TO EVERYONE.

EVEN IN COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND WHICH HAVE, SO FAR, SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED THE
OUTBREAK AND IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY FEW CASES OF COVID-19, EMPLOYERS

HAVE HAD TO LOCKDOWN SOME OF THEIR ACTIVITIES IN THE SHORT TERM AND HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE
LONGER TERM IMPACTS.



• THE GRADUATE MARKET MIRRORS PROBLEMS IN THE WIDER ECONOMY.
WHILE GRADUATES OFTEN ESCAPE THE WORST IMPACTS OF RECESSIONS, THE SIZE AND HEALTH OF THE GRADUATE
LABOUR MARKET IS TIED UP WITH THE WIDER ECONOMY. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CURRENT CRISIS MEANS THAT IT

IS IMPACTING ON WORKERS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS AND IS LIKELY TO BE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT FOR THOSE
ENTERING THE LABOUR MARKET FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THOSE WORKING IN THE SECTORS WHICH ARE FEELING

THE WORST EFFECTS.



• GRADUATE RECRUITMENT VOLUMES ARE DOWN EVERYWHERE.
DURING 2020 MANY EMPLOYERS HAVE TAKEN THE DECISION TO DELAY OR REDUCE THE NUMBER OF GRADUATES

THAT THEY ARE RECRUITING. THIS HAS LED TO OVERALL NUMBERS OF JOBS IN THE

FORMAL GRADUATE LABOUR MARKET GOING INTO DECLINE IN ALL 21 COUNTRIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS
RESEARCH.



• THE GRADUATE MARKET WILL NOT RECOVER STRAIGHT AWAY.
LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR 15 COUNTRIES EXPECT THE VOLUME OF GRADUATES RECRUITED TO CONTINUE TO

DECLINE. ONLY 3 COUNTRIES EXPECT THAT THE MARKET WILL STABILISE (CANADA, SOUTH AFRICA AND NEW
ZEALAND) AND ONLY THREE MORE ANTICIPATE GROWTH (BELGIUM, POLAND AND THE UAE).


• UNCERTAINTY IS THE ONLY THING THAT PEOPLE ARE CERTAIN OF.

RESPONDENTS REPORT A LOSS OF CERTAINTY IN NORMAL NARRATIVE ABOUT HOW GRADUATE TRANSITIONS WORK.
THIS UNCERTAINTY IS MAKING PLANNING DIFFICULT.



• WORKING PRACTICES AND BUSINESS PROCESSES ARE CHANGING AND MOVING ONLINE.
WITHIN THE GRADUATE RECRUITMENT FIELD THIS MEANS THAT BOTH ATTRACTION (ON CAMPUS

ACTIVITIES) AND SELECTION (INTERVIEWS AND ASSESSMENT CENTRES) ARE EITHER MOVING
WHOLLY ONLINE OR INTO A BLENDED FORMAT COMBINING ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE APPROACHES.



• YOUNG PEOPLE MAY PROLONG THEIR TIME IN EDUCATION.
BECAUSE OF PROBLEMS IN THE LABOUR MARKET MANY STUDENTS MAY PROLONG THEIR TIME IN EDUCATION

THROUGH POSTGRADUATE STUDY.





RECENT GRADUATES ARE FACING TOUGH CHALLENGES IN THE LABOUR MARKET AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC,
ACCORDING TO NEW OFFICE FOR NATIONAL STATISTIC (ONS) FIGURES.BUT OVERALL GRADUATES ARE MORE LIKELY

TO BE IN EMPLOYMENT THAN PEOPLE WITHOUT A DEGREE, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY CO-AUTHORED BY DR
MICHELA VECCHI, AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY.
THE ONS REPORT REVEALED:

AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 12.0% FOR THOSE WHO RECENTLY GRADUATED (IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS) IN THE
THIRD QUARTER OF 2020 (BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER) COMPARED WITH A NATIONAL AVERAGE OF 5.1% DURING
THE SAME PERIOD. THE FIGURE FOR RECENT GRADUATES REMAINS BELOW THE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (FOR

THOSE AGED 16 TO 24) WHICH STOOD AT 13.6% IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2020.
OVERALL GRADUATES ARE FARING BETTER THAN PEOPLE WITHOUT A DEGREE. BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER
2020, PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 25 TO 64 WITHOUT A DEGREE ACCOUNTED FOR 37% OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE,
FOLLOWING BY 31% FOR THOSE AGED 16 TO 24 WITHOUT A DEGREE. IN THE SAME PERIOD GRADUATES AGED 25 TO 64

YEARS AND YOUNG GRADUATES (AGED 16 TO 24 YEARS) ACCOUNTED FOR 15% AND 9% OF THE OVERALL
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RESPECTIVELY. THE AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR GRADUATES BETWEEN 2017 UP

UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2020 WAS 3.0%, COMPARED WITH THE TOTAL AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 4.2%.
70% OF GRADUATES ARE EMPLOYED IN THE TOP THREE OCCUPATIONS: MANAGERS AND DIRECTORS, ASSOCIATE

PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS.
GRADUATE SKILLS MISMATCH’, DEFINED AS THE PROPORTION OF GRADUATES EMPLOYED IN NON-GRADUATE

POSITIONS, DECREASED BY 5% POINTS TO 25.5% BETWEEN THE THIRD

QUARTER OF 2019 AND THIRD QUARTER OF 2020. THIS MAY BE LINKED TO THE LOCKDOWN'S IMPACT ON THE
HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL SECTOR.

COMMENTING ON THE FINDINGS, DR VECCHI, SAID: “RECENT GRADUATES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY
THE LOCKDOWN AND IT IS A CONCERN FOR THOSE COMPLETING THEIR STUDIES. THEY ARE FACING MORE DIFFICULT

LABOUR MARKET CONDITIONS THAN THEY WERE A FEW YEARS AGO AS THE ECONOMY HAS SLOWED AND MANY
SECTORS ARE SHUT DOWN.“SOME OF THE JOBS THAT HAVE SEEN INCREASED DEMAND DURING THE PANDEMIC
REVOLVE AROUND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY. THESE ARE TYPICALLY HIGHER SKILLED JOBS WHICH REQUIRE A DEGREE

AND ARE SUITABLE FOR HOME WORKING, WHICH HELPS TO EXPLAIN WHY GRADUATES HAVE FARED BETTER
COMPARED TO NON-GRADUATES.



“CERTAINLY, THE SITUATION IS TOUGH AT THE MOMENT FOR PEOPLE JUST FINISHING A DEGREE BUT PRICES FOR
HOLIDAYS ARE ALREADY INCREASING AS MORE PEOPLE GET VACCINATED AND HOPEFULLY AT THE END OF THIS

LOCKDOWN THERE WILL BE A RAPID REVIVAL OF THE ECONOMIC SITUATION AND THAT IS GOOD NEWS FOR
EVERYBODY INCLUDING GRADUATES AND NON-GRADUATES.”

DR VECCHI AND DR CATHERINE ROBINSON, DEPUTY DEAN AND SENIOR LECTURER IN APPLIED ECONOMICS AND
BUSINESS STATISTICS AT KENT BUSINESS SCHOOL, HAVE BEEN AWARDED A £53,650 GRANT BY UK RESEARCH AND
INNOVATION TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE LABOUR MARKET WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON
‘GRADUATE SKILLS MISMATCH’.DR VECCHI SAID: “WHILE IT COULD BE SEEN AS A POSITIVE THAT FEWER GRADUATES

ARE EMPLOYED IN NON-GRADUATE POSITIONS, THIS REDUCTION COULD ALSO MEAN FEWER GRADUATES ARE
EMPLOYED IN ANY JOBS.

“GRADUATES ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST SKILLED IN THE LABOUR FORCE AND ARE CRUCIAL TO FUTURE RECOVERY, SO
IT IS VITAL WE UNDERSTAND HOW THEIR OPPORTUNITIES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.”



THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS, NOT GETTING INTO ARCHIVES MEANS WE CAN’T WRITE OUR DISSERTATIONS. MOST
STUDENT STIPENDS BARELY COVER RENT, FOOD, AND VERY USED COPIES OF NEEDED BOOKS. OFTEN TIMES,
LIBRARIES ARE SAVIORS, AND THEY PROVIDE US WITH FREE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO DO OUR WORK. NOW ACCESS
TO THESE MATERIALS IS INFREQUENT OR IMPOSSIBLE. WHILE SOME INSTITUTIONS HAVE MADE A CONCERTED
EFFORT TO DIGITIZE COLLECTIONS, MOST MATERIALS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE IN HARD-COPY FORM. GRADUATE
STUDENTS FACE THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING TO SWITCH THEIR DISSERTATION TOPICS TO ONES THAT CAN BE
COMPLETED USING ONLY ONLINE SOURCES. SOME HISTORIANS MAY BE ABLE TO HIRE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS IN
COUNTRIES WHERE ARCHIVES ARE OPEN, BUT FEW GRADUATE STUDENTS HAVE THE FUNDS TO DO SO.
 MONEY IS A FACTOR IN COVID-19’S DISRUPTION IN OTHER WAYS, TOO. FROM THE TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS SET
FOOT ON CAMPUS, THEIR FUNDING CLOCKS BEGIN TO TICK, AND MANY STRUGGLE TO COMPLETE THEIR
DISSERTATIONS BEFORE THAT SUPPORT RUNS OUT. WILL GRADUATE

STUDENTS SEE ANY EXTENSION OF FUNDING SINCE THE PANDEMIC STRIPPED AWAY A YEAR OF RESEARCH? THE
ANSWER REMAINS UNCLEAR. MANY OF US WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AWAY DOING DISSERTATION RESEARCH
DURING THE 2020/2021 YEAR ARE NOW FORCED TO USE MONEY WE WERE NOT PLANNING ON USING THIS YEAR.
WITHOUT RESEARCH TIME OR MONEY, THEY WILL HAVE LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO TAKE TEACHING AND GRADUATE
ASSISTANTSHIPS INSTEAD OF WORKING FULL-TIME ON THEIR DISSERTATIONS. MANY MAY HAVE TO DROP OUT
WITHOUT FINISHING. THE LOSS OF GRADUATE STUDENTS WILL ALSO SEVERELY IMPACT UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR
RESEARCH AGENDAS. WILL THOSE WHO MANAGE TO FINISH BE ABLE TO FIND JOBS AND PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES
IN A HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM UNDERMINED BY THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC? THE OUTLOOK

SEEMS GRIM, BUT THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN ALL HELP EACH OTHER.
GRADUATE STUDIES AND CAMPUS CLOSURES

GRADUATE STUDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH PAY AND OVEREXTENDED LABOR,
AND THIS SITUATION ADDS TO THE STRESS. (THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE STILL ABLE TO CONDUCT OUR WORK

THROUGH ONLINE PLATFORMS AND RECEIVE PAY FROM OUR UNIVERSITIES; THE SAME CANNOT BE SAID FOR THOSE
FACING THE CLOSURE OF THEIR PLACES OF WORK LIKE DISNEY/UNIVERSAL AND BROADWAY.)



WE ARE ALL FULLY AWARE OF THE DIFFICULTIES OUR STUDENTS FACE RIGHT NOW AND THEIR UNCERTAINTY ABOUT
ONLINE EDUCATION. WE FEEL THE SAME THINGS AS WE FACE DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND TEACHING ONLINE. FURTHER,
MANY OF US ARE COMMITTED TO CLASSROOMS THAT PROMOTE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVITY, AND WE ARE TRYING

TO MAKE OUR ONLINE SPACES AS OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS ALL TO SAY THAT THOSE IN
TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITY SETTINGS HAVE BEEN SLAPPED IN THE FACE WITH THE HARD REALITY THAT MUCH OF OUR

WORK REQUIRES SOCIAL INTERACTION. OUR WORLD TOUTS ITSELF ON BEING PART OF A DIGITAL AGE, AND YET WE
ARE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO REWORK OUR INSTRUCTIONAL IDENTITIES AND RETHINK OUR TEACHING PRACTICES AS

WE TRANSITION FROM ONE SPACE TO ANOTHER.



THE OTHER CONCERN THAT GRADUATE STUDENTS MUST DEAL WITH NOW IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE CLASSES
WE ARE TAKING, OUR RESEARCH PROJECTS AND THE NECESSARY ACADEMIC WORK WE MUST COMPLETE TO

EVENTUALLY BE COMPETITIVE ON THE JOB MARKET. COURSEWORK FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS TYPICALLY REQUIRES
A SEMINAR FORMAT, AND MEETING IN GROUPS WILL PROBABLY TAKE PLACE SYNCHRONOUSLY USING PLATFORMS
LIKE ZOOM OR GOOGLE HANGOUT. IN FACT, OUR DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY MOBILIZED ON HOW WE MIGHT DEFEND

THESIS AND DISSERTATION WORK ONLINE, COMPLETE OUR WRITTEN AND ORAL EXAMS FROM A DISTANCE, AND
WRANGLE FACULTY FROM ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY TO ATTEND ALL OF THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.



OTHER ELEMENTS OF GRADUATE WORK ARE NOT AS EASY TO RECONFIGURE, AND EVERYONE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
WILL BE ENGAGING IN CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING TO ADDRESS THESE SHIFTING ACADEMIC NEEDS. FOR ME, THIS

MEANS WORKING REMOTELY ON MY DISSERTATION, COMMUNICATING WITH MY ADVISER THROUGH EMAIL AND
DIGITAL MEETINGS, AND CREATING MY OWN SCHEDULE OF PRODUCTIVITY OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY. ASIDE FROM
THE CAMPUS CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT, THE UNIVERSITY ALSO RESTRICTED OUR PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL; I HAD TO
CANCEL TWO VERY BIG PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES THAT WERE ESSENTIAL FOR MY FUTURE NETWORKING AND

JOB PROSPECTS. (THAT’S NOT TO SAY THESE CONFERENCES CANNOT OR WILL NOT SWITCH TO
SOME ONLINE FORMAT AND SHOULD CONSIDER DOING SO FOR THE FUTURE OF ACCESSIBILITY IN ACADEME.)



FOR OTHER GRADUATE STUDENTS, LIKE MY PARTNER, WHO IS A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN INDUSTRIAL-
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, CLOSING THE CAMPUS AND ENCOURAGING SOCIAL DISTANCING MEANS PUTTING
RESEARCH PROJECTS ON HOLD, MOVING MEETINGS ONLINE, HALTING DATA COLLECTION AND RETHINKING
EXPECTATIONS AROUND PROJECT TIMELINES AND DISSERTATION DEFENSES BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF HUMAN
SUBJECTS AND IN-PERSON COLLABORATION. EVEN IN A FAIRLY INDEPENDENT FIELD OF STUDY, GRADUATE
STUDENTS STILL REQUIRE COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTS WHERE WE CAN DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY.

TOPIC 2 : THE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT IN POST COVID 19

EMPLOYED IS A PERSON WHO WORKS AT LEAST 1 HOUR FOR INCOME, PROFIT, OR FAMILY GAIN AT ANY
POINT THROUGHOUT THE WEEK IS CONSIDERED EMPLOYED.



UNEMPLOYED IS A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE WHO DID NOT WORK DURING THE REFERENCE
WEEK BUT IS LOOKING FOR WORK.

UNEMPLOYMENT





THE 'JOBS GAP' CAUSED BY THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS IS EXPECTED TO REACH 75 MILLION IN 2021, BEFORE
DROPPING TO 23 MILLION IN 2022, ACCORDING TO PROJECTIONS. IN 2021 AND 2022, THE CORRESPONDING
WORKING-HOURS GAP, WHICH INCLUDES THE JOBS GAP AND THOSE ON REDUCED HOURS, AMOUNTS TO 100

MILLION FULL-TIME JOBS AND 26 MILLION FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT, RESPECTIVELY. ON TOP OF CONTINUOUSLY
HIGH PRE-CRISIS LEVELS OF UNEMPLOYMENT, LABOUR UNDERUTILIZATION, AND BAD WORKING CONDITIONS,
THIS DEFICIT IN EMPLOYMENT AND WORKING HOURS HAS EMERGED.
AS A RESULT, WORLDWIDE UNEMPLOYMENT IS ANTICIPATED TO REACH 205 MILLION PEOPLE IN 2022, A
SIGNIFICANT INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S FIGURE OF 187 MILLION. THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO A 5.7
PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. THE COVID-19 IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS LIST.
THE REDUCTION IN EMPLOYMENT AND HOURS WORKED HAS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN LABOUR
INCOME AND, AS A RESULT, AN INCREASE IN POVERTY. IN COMPARISON TO 2019, AN ADDITIONAL 108 MILLION

EMPLOYEES ARE NOW CLASSIFIED AS POOR OR EXTREMELY POOR OVER THE WORLD. "FIVE YEARS OF PROGRESS
TOWARD THE ERADICATION OF WORKING POVERTY HAS BEEN UNDONE," ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH, WHICH
MAKES ACHIEVING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL OF ABOLISHING POVERTY BY 2030 EVEN MORE

DISTANT.



THE COVID-19 SITUATION HAS EXACERBATED PRE-EXISTING DISPARITIES BY DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING
DISADVANTAGED EMPLOYEES, ACCORDING TO THE RESEARCH. THE LACK OF SOCIAL PROTECTION — FOR
EXAMPLE, AMONG THE WORLD'S TWO BILLION UNEMPLOYED - IS PREVALENT.

50 50
40 40
30 30
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BECAUSE OF A LACK OF FUNDS TO INVEST IN ADDITIONAL EDUCATION OR JOB TRAINING, STRUCTURAL
UNEMPLOYMENT MAY PERSIST FOR A LONG TIME.



AFTER THE MCO EXPERIENCE, COMPANIES MAY REALISE THAT THE SAME PRODUCTIVITY CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED
WITH A SMALLER OFFICE SPACE, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT NOT ONLY IN

MALAYSIA, BUT IN MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. LITTLE SKILLED EMPLOYEES' SALARY OR WAGES ARE
TYPICALLY PAID AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, RESULTING IN LITTLE OR NO SAVINGS FOR UPSKILLING OR RESKILLING
ACTIVITIES FOR AN INDIVIDUAL LOW SKILLED WORKER. THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT MAY BE LONG-TERM DUE TO THEIR

INCAPACITY TO INVEST IN FURTHER EDUCATION OR JOB TRAINING.
UNFORTUNATELY, QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK FROM VARIOUS HRDF ENGAGEMENTS WITH STAKEHOLDERS HAS
REVEALED THAT THE REASONS FOR LOW TRAINING ACTIVITY ARE MULTIFACETED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, A LACK OF TRAINING FUNDS, WORKERS' UNWILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING, AND A GENERAL LACK
OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SKILLS IN INVESTING TRAINING FUNDS IN RELEVANT UPSKILLING TRAINING,

AMONG OTHERS. WHILE THE PRESENT STIMULUS PACKAGE MAY ASSIST TO ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE
CONSEQUENCES OF CYCLICAL UNEMPLOYMENT, STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT IS A SEPARATE PROBLEM TO

ADDRESS.
IF AND WHEN STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT OCCURS, HRDF IS CRITICAL IN ADDRESSING THE COMING STRUCTURAL
UNEMPLOYMENT. TO BEGIN, HRDF HAS EXPERIENCE SINCE IT BEGAN AND EXPANDED ON ECONOMIC STRUCTURAL
CHANGES IN MALAYSIA'S TRANSITION FROM RURAL TO INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY IN 1993, IN ORDER TO BRIDGE SKILL

SHORTAGES IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR. HRDF HAS CREATED A SIGNIFICANT TRAINING ECOSYSTEM TO
TRAIN AND PUT TRAINEES IN THE MARKET OVER 27 YEARS OF EXPERTISE IN RESKILLING AND UPSKILLING FOR THE

NATION, AND SO THE EXISTING EXPERIENCE AND MECHANISM ARE ALREADY IN PLACE TO MANAGE SUCH
CONDITIONS.

UNFORTUNATELY, HRDF, LIKE MALAYSIA, HAS NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH A LARGE-SCALE STRUCTURAL
UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH HRDF'S CURRENT MECHANISMS, METHODS, AND EXPERIENCE CAN ASSIST

TO ADDRESS SOME ASPECTS OF STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT, IT LACKS THE RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THE
PROBLEM ON A WIDER SCALE. AS A RESULT, THIS ESSAY SERVES AS A REMINDER TO ALL OF US TO BE CAUTIOUS IN

ENSURING THAT OUR SKILLS AND EXPERTISE ARE MARKET-RELEVANT. AT THE SAME TIME, HRDF WILL BE
PREPARING FOR SUCH SITUATIONS, AND WE HOPE THAT OUR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS WOULD WORK TOGETHER

TO GUARANTEE THAT ALL MALAYSIANS ARE APPROPRIATELY TRAINED AND ROBUST TO ECONOMIC SHOCKS.

FUTURE OF WORK TRENDS POST-COVID-19

REMOTE WORKING IS BECOMING MORE POPULAR.
ACCORDING TO A RECENT GARTNER RESEARCH, 48% OF EMPLOYEES WILL LIKELY WORK
REMOTELY AT LEAST PART OF THE TIME AFTER COVID-19, COMPARED TO 30% BEFORE THE
EPIDEMIC. EXPLORE THE FUNDAMENTAL ABILITIES EMPLOYEES WILL NEED TO INTERACT
DIGITALLY AS FIRMS MIGRATE TO MORE REMOTE WORK OPERATIONS, AND BE PREPARED TO
ALTER EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE INITIATIVES. CONSIDER IF AND HOW PERFORMANCE GOAL-

SETTING AND STAFF ASSESSMENTS SHOULD BE SHIFTED TO A REMOTE SETTING
INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF DATA COLLECTED

ACCORDING TO A GARTNER STUDY, 16% OF COMPANIES ARE INCREASINGLY EMPLOYING
TECHNOLOGY TO MONITOR THEIR EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING VIRTUAL CLOCKING IN AND OUT,

TRACKING WORK COMPUTER USAGE, AND MONITORING EMPLOYEE EMAILS OR INTERNAL
COMMUNICATIONS/CHAT. WHILE SOME BUSINESSES TRACK PRODUCTIVITY, OTHERS TRACK
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND WELL-BEING IN ORDER TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF

THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE.
ORGANIZATIONS WERE INCREASINGLY EMPLOYING ATYPICAL EMPLOYEE MONITORING
METHODS EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT THIS HR TREND WILL BE EXACERBATED BY NEW
DISTANT WORKER MONITORING AND THE COLLECTING OF EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY
DATA. FOLLOW BEST PRACTISES TO GUARANTEE THAT EMPLOYEE DATA AND ANALYTICS ARE

USED RESPONSIBLY.

EXPANSION OF CONTINGENT WORKERS
MANY PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR EMPLOYMENT AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC'S ECONOMIC
UNCERTAINTIES, WHILE OTHERS HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO NONSTANDARD WORK PRACTISES FOR THE

FIRST TIME. MANY COMPANIES CUT THEIR CONTRACTOR BUDGETS IN RESPONSE TO THE
PANDEMIC'S ECONOMIC IMPACT, ALTHOUGH THIS HAS SUBSEQUENTLY CHANGED.

ACCORDING TO GARTNER, FIRMS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW THEIR USE OF CONTINGENT EMPLOYEES
BEYOND COVID-19 TO PRESERVE MORE FLEXIBILITY IN WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT, AND THEY WILL

INVESTIGATE ADDING ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT TYPES OBSERVED DURING THE EPIDEMIC.
"OUR DATA SHOWS THAT AS A COST-CUTTING TACTIC, 32% OF FIRMS ARE REPLACING FULL-TIME

STAFF WITH CONTINGENT LABOUR," KROPP EXPLAINS. "WHILE GIG WORKERS PROVIDE
ORGANISATIONS WITH MORE WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT FLEXIBILITY, HR DIRECTORS MUST
CONSIDER HOW PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS APPLY TO THESE WORKERS AND IF THEY

WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SAME BENEFITS AS THEIR FULL-TIME COUNTERPARTS."

EXPANDED EMPLOYER ROLE AS SOCIAL SAFETY NET
THE PANDEMIC HAS INCREASED THE TREND OF EMPLOYERS PLAYING AN EXPANDED ROLE IN

THEIR EMPLOYEES’ FINANCIAL, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING. SUPPORT INCLUDES
ENHANCED SICK LEAVE, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, ADJUSTED HOURS OF OPERATION AND
CHILD CARE PROVISIONS. SOME ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTED THE COMMUNITY BY, FOR
INSTANCE, SHIFTING OPERATIONS TO MANUFACTURING GOODS OR PROVIDING SERVICES TO

HELP COMBAT THE PANDEMIC AND OFFERING COMMUNITY RELIEF FUNDS AND FREE
COMMUNITY SERVICES.

THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS HAS ALSO PUSHED THE BOUNDS OF HOW EMPLOYERS VIEW
THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE. PERSONAL FACTORS RATHER THAN EXTERNAL FACTORS TAKE

PRECEDENCE OVER WHAT MATTERS FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND EMPLOYEES ALIKE.
EMPLOYING SUCH MEASURES CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL HEALTH

AND IMPROVE THE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF EMPLOYEES.
: CRITICAL SKILLS AND ROLES ARE SEPARATED.
PRIOR TO COVID-19, CRITICAL POSITIONS WERE THOUGHT TO BE THOSE THAT REQUIRED
CRITICAL TALENTS OR THE COMPETENCIES THAT AN ORGANISATION NEED TO ACHIEVE ITS
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES. EMPLOYERS ARE ALSO RECOGNISING THAT THERE IS A SECOND
CATEGORY OF KEY ROLES: THOSE THAT ARE CRUCIAL TO THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL

WORKFLOWS.
FOCUS LESS ON JOBS — WHICH GROUP UNRELATED TALENTS — AND MORE ON THE SKILLS
NEEDED TO DRIVE THE ORGANIZATION'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND THE PROCESSES
THAT FUEL THAT ADVANTAGE TO DEVELOP THE WORKFORCE YOU'LL NEED POST-PANDEMIC.
INSTEAD THAN PREPARING FOR A CERTAIN FUTURE POST, ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO BUILD
CRUCIAL ABILITIES THAT MIGHT OFFER UP VARIOUS OPTIONS FOR THEIR PROFESSIONAL

ADVANCEMENT. EMPLOYEES IN CRUCIAL JOBS WHO LACK CRITICAL ABILITIES SHOULD
RECEIVE MORE CAREER DEVELOPMENT HELP.

EMPLOYEE (DE-)HUMANIZATION
WHILE SOME FIRMS RECOGNISED THE PANDEMIC'S
HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE AND EMPHASISED

EMPLOYEES' WELL-BEING AS PEOPLE OVER
EMPLOYEES' WELL-BEING AS WORKERS, OTHERS HAVE

FORCED EMPLOYEES TO WORK IN HIGH-RISK
ENVIRONMENTS WITH NO ASSISTANCE, CONSIDERING

THEM AS WORKERS FIRST AND PEOPLE SECOND.
BE THOUGHTFUL IN YOUR APPROACH AND CONSIDER

THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES ON EMPLOYEE
EXPERIENCE. IF REMOTE AND ON-SITE PERSONNEL
HAVE BEEN TREATED DIFFERENTLY, ADDRESS THE
INJUSTICES. INVOLVE TASK EMPLOYEES IN TEAM
CULTURE AND FOSTER AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT.

A RISE IN THE NUMBER OF TOP-TIER EMPLOYERS
ORGANIZATIONS WERE ALREADY DEALING WITH
GROWING EMPLOYEE DEMANDS FOR OPENNESS

PRIOR TO COVID-19. STAFF AND POTENTIAL
APPLICANTS WILL EVALUATE COMPANIES BASED
ON HOW THEY HANDLED EMPLOYEES THROUGHOUT
THE EPIDEMIC. BALANCE TODAY'S EFFORTS TO
ADDRESS ACUTE PANDEMIC CONCERNS WITH THE
LONG-TERM IMPACT ON THE EMPLOYMENT BRAND.
ASSIST CEOS AND EXECUTIVE LEADERS IN MAKING
JUDGMENTS ON EXECUTIVE PAY CUTBACKS, FOR

EXAMPLE, AND ENSURE THAT THE FINANCIAL
CONSEQUENCES ARE BORNE BY EXECUTIVES
RATHER THAN THE REST OF THE WORKFORCE.
PROGRESSIVE COMPANIES COMMUNICATE FREELY
AND REGULARLY TO DEMONSTRATE HOW THEY
SUPPORT THEIR STAFF DESPITE COST-CUTTING
EFFORTS. LOOK FOR WAYS TO FORM TALENT-
SHARING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER FIRMS TO
HELP EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE BEEN DISPLACED BY

COVID-19 FIND NEW EMPLOYMENT.

MAKE THE SHIFT FROM EFFICIENCY TO RESILIENCE IN YOUR DESIGN.
ACCORDING TO A 2019 GARTNER ORGANISATION DESIGN STUDY, 55
PERCENT OF ORGANISATIONAL REDESIGNS FOCUSED ON SIMPLIFYING
ROLES, SUPPLY CHAINS, AND PROCEDURES IN ORDER TO IMPROVE
EFFICIENCY. WHILE THIS METHOD CAPTURED EFFICIENCY, IT ALSO

INTRODUCED VULNERABILITIES SINCE SYSTEMS ARE UNABLE TO
ADAPT TO INTERRUPTIONS. RESILIENT COMPANIES WERE BETTER

EQUIPPED TO ADAPT TO CHANGE AND CORRECT COURSE MORE
SWIFTLY.



DESIGN ROLES AND STRUCTURES AROUND OBJECTIVES TO BOOST
AGILITY AND FLEXIBILITY, AND DEFINE HOW PROCESSES MIGHT FLEX
TO CREATE A MORE RESPONSIVE COMPANY. PROVIDE WORKERS WITH
A VARIETY OF POSITIONS THAT ARE ADAPTABLE AND FLEXIBLE SO

THAT THEY MAY GAIN CROSS-FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
TRAINING.



"DIVERSITY LEADERS WILL NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN ROLE DESIGN AND
THE CONSTRUCTION OF FLEXIBLE WORK SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THAT
NEW WORKFLOWS ARE DESIGNED WITH EMPLOYEES OF VARIOUS
BACKGROUNDS AND DEMANDS IN MIND," SAID INGRID LAMAN, VICE
PRESIDENT, ADVISORY, GARTNER.
: INCREASING THE COMPLEXITY OF THE ORGANISATION
GLOBAL M&A ACTIVITY INTENSIFIED AFTER THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL
CRISIS, AND MANY FIRMS WERE NATIONALISED TO PREVENT
DISASTER. AS THE EPIDEMIC FADES, MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
(M&A) AND COMPANY NATIONALISATION WILL ACCELERATE. TO
MINIMISE AND MANAGE RISK IN TIMES OF CHANGE, COMPANIES WILL
FOCUS ON GROWING THEIR GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSIFICATION AND
INVESTING IN SECONDARY MARKETS. AS OPERATING MODELS
CHANGE, THE COMPLEXITY OF SCALE AND ORGANISATIONAL
MANAGEMENT WILL INCREASE, POSING PROBLEMS FOR LEADERS.


ALLOW BUSINESS UNITS TO TAILOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
SINCE WHAT WORKS FOR ONE SECTION OF THE COMPANY MAY NOT
WORK FOR ANOTHER. PROVIDING RESKILLING AND CAREER
DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT — FOR EXAMPLE, BY GENERATING
RESOURCES AND BUILDING UP PLATFORMS TO ENABLE INSIGHT INTO
INTERNAL JOBS — IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT AS
ORGANISATIONAL COMPLEXITY COMPLICATES CAREER PATHING.

Topic 3: THE KEY ATTRIBUTES TO

SURVIVE IN POST COVID 19

Undeniable, the pandemic of covid-19 already
spread throughout the world. So this state of affairs
has affected the lifestyle of people and the nature of
their work. We need to try to adapt to the new
criterion in this world. Upskilling in preparation for the
changes to come post covid 19 should be a crucial and
critical part of response and recovery. In order to
survive in this post covid-19, we have to learn some
skills or the knowledge to live in this situation.

In this era of globalization, technology is already
advancing. Therefore, we should have the attribute
that is willing to learn digital skills and have the
knowledge about how to apply the technology in our
daily life especially in the aspect of business. Examples
are e-commerce and big data. Due to the covid-19,
people are advised to stay at home so we need to
learn how to access the online store to buy something
like necessaries. In order to survive in this condition,
students that have graduated need to learn this skill
so can be easier to find a job.

In addition, the key attribute that we should have to survive
in post covid-19 is stress tolerance. This is because covid-19 caused
our economy to become depressed. Consequently, the job
opportunities decrease and some people will lose their job.
Moreover, some people will be ordered to work from home. Due to
staying at home for a long time, people will face a lot of stress or
problem at home. Therefore, people need to have stress tolerance
to survive in this post of covid-19.

Furthermore, creativity and innovation are also important. If you
are not creative, some of the companies will not hire you instead of
someone who has creative thinking. We need to create some new
things to conform to this situation. We also need to have open-
minded in order to solve the problems more openly and with
innovation. Especially for the people who graduate in this post of
covid-19, they should try to change their thinking and become
more creative. Besides, the employees need the ability to accept
and adapt to change. This is important because we will face a lot of
problems through this post of covid-19. For example, the
employees have been ordered to change that they can have the
meeting at the office before covid-19 but after covid-19, they
should have the meeting at home on google meet or some of the
platforms to meet. This situation will cause them to face challenges
like losing Wi-Fi connection or having mic problems when meeting.

Additionally, students need to be disciplined.
This is because we need to study at home in this
post covid-19. We need to manage our time
wisely in order to study well like setting a
timetable to do revision or focus study in class. If
we want to survive in this situation, we should be
hard-working than our peers to learn more
knowledge and skills in order to compete with
others in the future. Advanced skills will be in
high demand in the job market these days. We
need to keep up with the trend to learn
something new to survive in this fast-paced world
especially in covid-19. For example, we can use
our free time to study a new language.

Moreover, one of the key attributes to
survive in post covid 19 is critical thinking. What
is critical thinking? Critical thinking is the ability
to think rationally and clearly and understand
between the connection of ideas. The key
critical thinking skills are problem-solving,
analysis, open-mindedness, and interpretation.
We need to have this skill to survive in post
covid-19 because this will help us to become
more excellent. For example, the graduates can
evaluate the opposing viewpoints and use
them to form a lot of solutions. Therefore, this
can show to the interviewers that you can
provide the best solutions for your team and
they will place you as the priority choice.

To survive in this post covid-19, people should
have introspection. What mean about introspection?
The world is always changing and we cannot live in this
world without change. This encourages people to take
the opportunity to use the time in quarantine to
identify their strengths and weaknesses. For example,
someone is weak at communication with others and
he can try to change to learn how to become good at
communication. This will invisibly improve our skills.
After introspection, we will have a clear direction of
which skills that we need to make us improve.

Finally, everyone needs to lead and believe in their
own unique ability to adapt in whatever destructive
situations they are in. Besides, everyone should be
willing to learn some new techniques in order to not
be eliminated in this society. To survive in this post
covid-19, everyone must learn some skills and
knowledge.

The Most Important Soft Skills

These are the statistics of the important skills. We need to
have these skills in order to survive in post covid-19. The more
obvious data is communication skills. We can see that
communication skill is the most important skills. This is because
we need to work or get along with others. Especially in the
workplace, we should discuss with others the task and work in a
team. If we can communicate well in the team, we have a great
chance to be hired. The reason we should have these skills is
there were fewer job chances in post of covid-19. So we need to
be excellent than other peers to stand out in this situation.

How to survive in this post covid 19

We can learn the skills through education,
training, experience, ability and so on. By
choosing a new skill for yourself to learn,
your time will not be wasted and you could
also significantly benefit your life and career
as well. So, it can make us become more
excellent.

During the pandemic, companies have made
a significant shift toward skill building

From the above data, we can conclude that improve
our skills is very important for us to survive in this
post covid-19. Skill building is more prevalent than it
was prior to the pandemic, with 69 percent of
organizations doing more skill building now than they
did before the COVID-19 crisis. Upskilling is become
priority for companies since the pandemic began.

TOPIC 4 :

HOW TO POLISH GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
TO EXCEL IN THE WORKPLACE

When it comes to landing their first full-time job,
recent grads need every skill-related advantage
they can get. However, they frequently rely solely
on academic excellence to secure top positions in
strong organisations. Whether you're starting a
career as an engineer, programmer, artist, or
anything else, there are important corporate
skills that every professional should have
especially during this pandemic of Covid-19.

From a study, employers rely on employees to boost their competitiveness,
according to scholars, because the quality of employee ability and outputs
influences total organisational performance outcomes (Buller and McEvoy,
2012; Deaconu et al., 2014). They have pushed businesses to establish ways
to enhance and leverage the millennial generation's assets and abilities
(Jerome et al., 2014). Hitt et al. (2001) argue in an empirical study that
human capital has a moderating and beneficial effect on a firm's
performance. This lends credence to the notion that recruiting skilled
individuals is critical for businesses. Poor recruitment decisions, on the
other hand, are costly to businesses in both monetary and non-monetary
terms (Newell, 2005). Researchers such as Proms (2008) have emphasised
the necessity of recruiting people with the correct skills for companies. In
light of this, and in light of the growing demand for knowledge workers,
the demand for qualified fresh graduates – a vital human resource has
risen significantly.

In a research of over 41,700 hiring managers from 42 nations, 65 percent
of Hong Kong employers said they were facing a serious talent shortage,
second only to Japan (83%) and Peru (68%) in the world (ManpowerGroup,
2015). When asked why it was difficult to fill positions, 18% of respondents
stated applicants lacked sufficient hard skills, while 4% said applicants
needed sufficient soft skills (ManpowerGroup, 2017). At the same time, in
Hong Kong, 89 percent of recent graduates found work within three
months. However, 14% of these newcomers are concerned that their
existing skill levels will not allow them to satisfy rising market demand
(HR in Asia, 2017). Overall, these comments suggest that Hong Kong is
experiencing a skills shortage.

Hong Kong conducted a complete evaluation of its education
system and introduced higher education reform in 2001 in
preparation for the new challenges of the twenty-first
century, including political, social, and cultural changes, as
well as international competition. This policy was intended to
promote young people's access to higher education. In 2017,
24.4 percent of the population had received a first-degree
education or higher, a significant increase from 10.4 percent
in 1998. (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 2014,
2017a). According to Wan (2011), the goal of this government
programme was to overcome the gap between workforce
knowledge and skill capabilities and those required by
companies.

While students may rate their proficiency levels as high in
general (Stewart et al., 2016), businesses (Mamun, 2011) have
a different perspective and continue to demand higher
requirements. As a result, there is a growing demand for
colleges to generate graduates who are more employable
(Alhelalat, 2015; Jackson, 2010; Low et al., 2016; Poon,
2014). As a result, the purpose of this research is to look at
employers' perspectives on the skills that help new graduates
succeed in the workplace. This study seeks and analyses the
responses of 260 employers in Hong Kong to a survey of 26
competencies described in the literature in order to determine
which skills employers demand.

HOW TO POLISH GRADUATE
ATTRIBUTE ?

FIRSTLY, GRADUATES MUST HAVE A NEGOTIATING SKILLS. THIS WILL
HELP YOU IN A VARIETY OF PROFESSIONAL SETTINGS, BUT ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT'S TIME TO ASK FOR A RAISE OR LAND A FANTASTIC JOB OFFER.
BECAUSE MOST SALARY INCREASES ARE BASED ON EARLIER SALARIES,
BECOMING A COMPETENT NEGOTIATOR EARLY IN YOUR CAREER IS
CRITICAL. OTHER JOB BONUSES AND BENEFITS, SUCH AS A SIGNING
BONUS, FLEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE, OR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, CAN
BE BARTERED FOR WITH NEGOTIATION SKILLS. HOW CAN THESE
ABILITIES BE HONED? YOU NEED TO ARM YOURSELF WITH STATISTICS
WHEN LAYING THE FRAMEWORK FOR COMPENSATION DISCUSSIONS. IN
YOUR INDUSTRY, HOW MUCH DOES SOMEONE WITH YOUR DEGREE,
TALENTS, AND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE EARN ON AVERAGE? DO ASK
MENTORS ABOUT WAGE EXPECTATIONS AND DO SOME WEB STUDY TO
FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH YOU'RE WORTH. YOU'LL HAVE A BETTER
CHANCE OF RECEIVING WHAT YOU WANT IF YOU CAN BACK UP YOUR
REQUEST WITH SOLID ARGUMENTS.

SECONDLY, GRADUATES NEED TO HAVE A TECHNOLOGY
SKILLS. A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF MICROSOFT OFFICE
IS UNLIKELY TO BE ENOUGH TO IMPRESS. SO GO ONLINE
TO LEARN HOW TO CODE, GET GOOGLE ANALYTICS
CERTIFIED, AND UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SEO
(SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION) AND SEM (SEARCH
ENGINE MARKETING) MARKETING.

THIRDLY, REQUEST FOR EXTRA HELP. YOU ARE NOT
EXPECTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU ARE
FRESH TO THE FIRM. DON'T BE HESITANT TO ASK
QUESTIONS IF YOU'RE UNSURE ABOUT A TASK OR HOW
SOMETHING WORKS. TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT ON
YOUR OWN FOR AN ENTIRE DAY WILL NOT PROVE
ANYTHING, AND YOUR CO-WORKERS WILL MOST LIKELY
BE PLEASED TO ASSIST YOU. IT'S CRITICAL TO GET YOUR
FEARS AND CONCERNS OUT OF THE WAY SO YOU CAN
FEEL MORE AT EASE AND LEARN MORE QUICKLY.

APART FROM THAT, LEARNING A NEW FOREIGN LANGUAGE BY
FRESH GRADUATES WOULD BE AMAZING. LEARNING A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE HAS NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES. IT NOT ONLY
INCREASES YOUR COGNITIVE ABILITIES, BUT IT ALSO MAKES YOU
MORE MARKETABLE IN THE JOB MARKET. MOST CITIES HAVE
LOW-COST GROUP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. PRACTICE
MAKES PERFECT, SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO
CONVERSE IN YOUR NEW LANGUAGE.

BESIDES THAT, SOFT SKILLS FROM THE FRESH
GRADUATES ARE A MUST TOO. ALTHOUGH YOU MAY
BELIEVE THAT YOUR ABILITY TO FULFIL SPECIALISED JOB
REQUIREMENTS IS SUFFICIENT TO SECURE A JOB, SOFT
SKILLS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANY OTHER
BUSINESS TALENT. SOFT SKILLS SUCH AS TEAMWORK,
PEOPLE SKILLS, AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION,
AMONG OTHERS, ARE NOT ONLY IMPORTANT IN ANY
COMPANY, BUT ALSO INDICATE THAT YOU WILL STICK
AROUND! IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT BUSINESSES SEARCH
FOR THESE QUALITIES IN A POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE.

FURTHERMORE, DO SHOW UP WITH SELF-ASSURANCE.
WHEN IT COMES TO DISPLAYING CONFIDENCE AND
MAKING A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION, BODY
LANGUAGE AND POSTURE ARE KEY. IN THE FIRST FEW
SECONDS OF INTERACTING WITH SOMEONE, PEOPLE
CREATE OPINIONS. YOU'LL HAVE AN EASIER TIME
MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND MAKING OTHERS FEEL
MORE AT EASE AROUND YOU IF YOU'RE CONFIDENT
AND HAVE A PLEASANT ATTITUDE.

NEXT, DOING SOME READING TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE
IN THE WORKPLACE IS ALSO USEFUL. DO SOME RESEARCH
INTO THE BUSINESS AND SECTOR YOU WISH TO ENTER,
PAYING SPECIAL ATTENTION TO COMPANIES OF INTEREST,
TO BE AS PREPARED AS POSSIBLE FOR THE WORLD OF
WORK. SEE JOB PROFILES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPECIFIC
ROLES. DESPITE THE CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED BY THE
CORONAVIRUS, MANY GRADUATE EMPLOYERS ARE STILL
HIRING, SO FOLLOW YOUR CHOSEN EMPLOYERS ON SOCIAL
MEDIA TO STAY UP TO DATE ON JOB OPENINGS. PREPARING
FOR AN INTERVIEW IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA. ALTHOUGH IN-
PERSON INTERVIEWS ARE STILL AVAILABLE, MANY
ORGANISATIONS ARE RELYING ON PHONE AND VIDEO
INTERVIEWS DUE TO SOCIAL DISTANCE RULES, SO MAKE
SURE YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.

IN ADDITION, GRADUATES MUST BE A PROBLEM SOLVER.
DON'T BE THE EMPLOYEE WHO IS ALWAYS READY TO POINT
OUT FLAWS BUT NEVER OFFERS A VIABLE REMEDY. BEING A
SCEPTIC ISN'T A TRAIT SHARED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO KNOW
HOW TO SUCCEED AT WORK. RATHER, BECOME A PROBLEM
SOLVER. LISTEN TO PEOPLE, ASK INTELLIGENT QUESTIONS,
PROVIDE SOLUTIONS, AND TAKE ACTION WHEREVER
POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S "NOT IN MY JOB
DESCRIPTION." MAKE AS MANY INDEPENDENT DECISIONS AS
YOU CAN. IF YOU TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO FIX TINY
DIFFICULTIES ON YOUR OWN, YOUR MANAGER WILL
APPRECIATE IT.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, GRADUATES CAN DO CONTINUAL
EDUCATION TO GAIN AND DEVELOP NEW SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
TO IMPROVE ABILITIES AND INCREASE YOUR EMPLOYABILITY.
ONLINE CERTIFICATIONS, SKILL-SPECIFIC COURSES, AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING, SUCH AS THOSE GIVEN
BY EHL, ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF AREAS TO FINISH
ON YOUR OWN TIME, ONLINE, WHILE WORKING, AND WITHOUT
THE LIMITS OF A NEW DEGREE. COMPLETING SHORT COURSES OR
EARNING AN ONLINE CREDENTIAL CAN HELP YOU POLISH YOUR
PRESENT ABILITIES OR LEARN SOMETHING NEW WHILE PREPARING
YOU FOR THIS FAST CHANGING JOB WORLD. IT'S ALSO AN
EXCELLENT MEANS OF DISPLAYING YOUR INITIATIVE, AMBITION,
AND ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS, AS EMPLOYERS ARE
INCREASINGLY LOOKING FOR CONTINUAL, ADAPTABLE LEARNERS.

LASTLY, GRADUATES WORKERS ALSO NEED PUBLIC SPEAKING
SKILLS IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THEIR WORKPLACE. ESTABLISHING
YOURSELF AS A COMPETENT, ENGAGING, AND APPROACHABLE
INDIVIDUAL REQUIRES PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS. WHETHER YOU'RE
SPEAKING TO A HUGE GROUP OR A SMALL GROUP, YOUR ABILITY TO
CLEARLY COMMUNICATE YOUR MESSAGE AND VISION IS VITAL.
SHARPEN YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS BY GIVING SPEECHES AT
TEAM MEETINGS. DO YOU GET NERVOUS BEFORE A PRESENTATION?
JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF WHAT YOU SAY,
HOW YOU SAY IT, AND HOW YOUR AUDIENCE TAKES IT. MAKE SURE
YOU GET FEEDBACK FROM YOUR MANAGER SO YOU CAN ENHANCE
YOUR PRESENTATIONS IN THE FUTURE. CONSIDER PARTICIPATING IN
PUBLIC SPEAKING SEMINARS AND DEBATE CLUBS TO GAIN
EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE.

CONCLUSION

AS A CONCLUSION TO GAIN A DEEPER FURTHERMORE, IF WE ARE TO PREVENT COVID-19

UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT OF THE FROM DAMAGING THE EDUCATION OF THE NEXT

COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE ACADEMIC LIVES GENERATION AND ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE

AND PERSONAL HEALTH OF UNIVERSITY THE BEST PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

STUDENTS FROM THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE. POSSIBLE, UNIVERSITIES MUST FIND WAYS TO

FURTHERMORE, THIS STUDY PROPOSED A DEAL WITH ALL THESE PROBLEMS. IN A NUTSHELL,

MOTIVATIONAL CONCEPTUAL MODEL AS A THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CAUSED MAJOR

SUGGESTED SOLUTION TO THE DIFFICULTIES CONCERNS AMONG MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE

FACED BY STUDENTS. TO BEGIN WITH, WE STUDENTS. IN THIS STUDY, WE HAVE ADDRESSED

FOUND THAT AMONG STUDENTS, A NUMBER ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, FINANCIAL STRESS,

OF ELEMENTS MAY LEAD TO MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP, AND THEIR IMPACT ON

PROBLEMS AND CAUSE ANXIETY AND STRESS. MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS DURING

THESE ELEMENTS INCLUDED A LACK OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN 202FIRSTLY, THE RESULTS

SUPPORT ON COPING WITH THE CHANGES TO SUGGEST THAT MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE

THEIR LEARNING UNDERCOVID-19 HAVING TO STUDENTS HAVE MODERATE ACADEMIC

SPEND TOO MUCH TIME USING A PC; AND PERFORMANCE, EVEN THOUGH THEY COULD ADAPT

BEING GIVEN EXCESSIVE QUANTITIES OF TO THE NEW NORMS OF ONLINE LEARNING.

WORK TO COMPLETE, LEAVING THEM UNABLE

TO MANAGE. IN ADDITION, ELEMENTS SUCH AS SECONDLY, A MAJORITY OF THE STUDENTS ARE

A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING FROM FAMILY FACING FINANCIAL STRESS BROUGHT ABOUT BY

MEMBERS CAN LEAD TO PROBLEMS. STUDENTS THE UNCERTAIN ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN

DECLARED THAT THERE ARE THREE SOURCES MALAYSIA DURING THIS OUTBREAK. THIRDLY, OUR

OF MOTIVATION TO OVERCOME SUCH FINDINGS ALSO SHOW THAT GOOD ACADEMIC

CHALLENGES. FIRST, STUDENTS CAN KEEP PERFORMANCE INCREASES FINANCIAL STRESS

BETTER CONTROL OF THEMSELVES BY BEING AMONG POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS YET REDUCES

AUTONOMOUS AND RELYING ON THEIR SOCIAL INTERACTION. THIS SHOWS THAT

PERSONAL SKILLS. THE SECOND POINT TO MALAYSIAN POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE

OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES WAS FACING CHALLENGES IN COMPLETING THEIR

THROUGH FAMILY MOTIVATION AND SUPPORT, STUDIES DURING THE OUTBREAK. COVID-19 HAS

AND THE THIRD SOURCE OF MOTIVATION, AS UNDOUBTEDLY AFFECTED THE ACADEMIC

THE AUTHORS OF THIS RESEARCH SURVIVAL OF MOST POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN

ANTICIPATED, WAS UNIVERSITY SUPPORT MALAYSIA, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF ACADEMIC

PROGRAMS. THE NEXT RELATED SET OF PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL STRESS.THE

ISSUES WE IDENTIFIED RELATED TO IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE MALAYSIAN

TECHNOLOGY. IN ADDITION, ISSUES WITH EDUCATIONAL SECTOR REQUIRES SERIOUS

CONNECTION SPEEDS SOMETIMES MADE CONSIDERATION IN ADDRESSING THE ISSUE. AS

ONLINE LEARNING DIFFICULT. FINALLY, OBSERVED, OVER 1.5 BILLION STUDENTS FROM

ISSUES RELATED TO EDUCATION INCLUDED OVER 156 COUNTRIES COULD NOT CONTINUE

PROBLEMS SUCH AS A LACK OF GUIDANCE PHYSICAL SCHOOLING DUE TO THE WORLDWIDE

FOR BOTH PUPILS AND TEACHERS IN THE USE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (UNESCO, 2020).

OF RELEVANT COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND

OUT-OF-DATE TEACHING PLANS.

FINALLY, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL

RESTRICTIONS IN PREVENTING THE

COVID-19 SPREAD WAS PREDICTED TO

BE A LONG HEALING PROCESS WITH NO

IMMEDIATE SOLUTION IN SIGHT.

THEREFORE, THE TEACHERS' EFFORTS

IN PROVIDING ONLINE LEARNING

PLATFORMS FOR STUDENTS WAS

ESSENTIAL (ALI & NASIR, 2019).

ADDITIONALLY, OTHER STAKEHOLDERS,

SUCH AS UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS, AND

THE GOVERNMENT, NEEDED TO PLAY

ACTIVE ROLES IN SUPPORT,

COMMITMENT, AND FINANCIAL AIDS.

FOR EXAMPLE, SOME FORM OF

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WAS REQUIRED

TO ENABLE STUDENTS TO SPEND ON IT

GADGETS. NONETHELESS, NOT EVERY

INDIVIDUAL COULD AFFORD TO

PURCHASE LAPTOPS OR TABLETS,

PARTICULARLY CONCERNING FAMILIES

WITH FINANCIAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL

CONSTRAINTS. THUS, THE HURDLES

REGARDING VIRTUAL EDUCATION FROM

HOME, THE UTILIZATION OF IN THIS POST COVID 19, WE NEED

TECHNOLOGICAL EQUIPMENT, GROUP- TO REQUIRE THE ATTRIBUTE TO

BASED PROJECTS, INTERNET CAPACITY, SURVIVE. THE ATTRIBUTES LIKE

AND ASSESSMENT METHODS WERE DIGITAL SKILL, STRESS

ACKNOWLEDGED THROUGH THE IMPACT

OF COVID-19, SPECIFICALLY IN THE TOLERANCE, CREATIVITY AND

MALAYSIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. INNOVATION, CRITICAL

THINKING, BE DISCIPLINE,

INTROSPECTION, AND

COMMUNICATION SKILL. TO

SURVIVE IN THIS SITUATION, THE

ATTRIBUTE WILL HELP US TO

STAND OUT COMPARE TO OUR

PEERS. ACTUALLY, NO MATTER

WE ARE IN BAD OR GOOD

CONDITION, WE STILL NEED TO

OBTAIN THIS KIND OF

ATTRIBUTE TO AVOID BEING

ELIMINATED BY THIS FAST-

PACED WORLD. THE WORLD IS

STILL CHANGING, WE ALSO NEED

TO BE ADVANCED BY IMPROVING

OURSELVES LIKE CONTINUALLY

STUDYING IN OUR LIFE.

THE REOPENING OF THE WORKPLACE WILL HAVE TO BE
DONE GRADUALLY AND CAUTIOUSLY, WITH SOCIAL
SEPARATION AND STRICTER HYGIENE PROCEDURES
COEXISTING WITH EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION AND
CONSULTATION. IF EMPLOYERS WANT TO USE
VACCINATION STATUS AS A CONDITION OF
EMPLOYMENT, THEY'LL HAVE TO CHECK WHERE THAT'S
ALLOWED AND MAY HAVE TO OFFER A LIST OF
ALTERNATIVES, SUCH AS CONFIRMATION OF A NEGATIVE
COVID-19 TEST.
FLEXIBLE WORKING IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT, BUT (CARE-
GIVING) EMPLOYEES HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN AT THE
FOREFRONT OF THE PUSH TOWARD MORE FLEXIBILITY
AND REMOTE WORKING. EVEN THE MOST APPREHENSIVE
BUSINESSES WERE FORCED TO EMBRACE NEW AGILE
WORKING POSSIBILITIES AS A RESULT OF THE
PANDEMIC'S UNEXPECTED ONSET.

IN SUMMARY, WORK SATISFACTION FROM GRADUATES IS

A KEY FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES TO AN

ORGANIZATION'S OVERALL SUCCESS AND

PRODUCTIVITY. FURTHERMORE, BECAUSE EMPLOYEES

ARE CONTENT WITH THEIR CURRENT JOBS, THE

EMPLOYEE TURNOVER RATE MAY DROP CONSIDERABLY.

THE COMPANY CAN ALSO AVOID SQUANDERING MONEY

ON FRESH STAFF RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING.

EMPLOYEES WHO ARE SATISFIED WITH THEIR JOBS ARE

MORE LIKELY TO WORK EFFECTIVELY AND PUT FORTH

MORE EFFORT. EMPLOYEES THAT ARE DISSATISFIED

WITH THEIR JOBS, ON THE OTHER HAND, MIGHT HAVE A

SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ORGANISATION.

EMPLOYEES MAY, FOR EXAMPLE, DEVELOP A NEGATIVE

ATTITUDE, BETRAY THEIR EMPLOYER, AND RAISE

COMPLAINTS AND ABSENTEEISM. THESE NEGATIVE

CONSEQUENCES MAY LEAD THE COMPANY'S IMAGE TO

DETERIORATE, AS WELL AS ITS PERFORMANCE AND

PRODUCTIVITY. THEREFORE, THOSE SKILLS CAN HELP

GRADUATES POLISH THEIR ATTRIBUTES IN ORDER TO

EXCEL IN THE WORKPLACE DURING THIS PANDEMIC OF

COVID-19.

REFERENCE

1.https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/05/688184/key-skills-survive-post-
pandemic-world

2.https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/9-skills-youll-need-
succeed-post-coronavirus-business-
world#:~:text=Although%20it's%20unlikely%20that%20you,your%20profile%20abov
e%20the%20rest.

3.https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice/how-graduates-can-
get-hired-during-coronavirus-pandemic

4.https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-
performance/our-insights/building-workforce-skills-at-scale-to-thrive-during-and-
after-the-covid-19-crisis

5.https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Most-Important-Soft-Skills-Identified-by-
Employers_fig1_322553388

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APPRECIATION






FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE GRATEFUL TO PROF DR MAISARAH MOHAMED SAAT, OUR
HONORABLE TEACHER, FOR HER WISE LEADERSHIP AND KNOWLEDGE, WHICH
ENABLED US TO ACCOMPLISH THIS PROJECT EFFECTIVELY. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND PRESENCE AT ALL TIMES. WE'D
ALSO WANT TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO PROF DR MAISARAH MOHAMED
SAAT FOR HER SUGGESTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROJECT AND THE

WRITING OF THIS REPORT.



WE'D ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO ALL OF OUR RELATIVES,
FAMILY, AND FRIENDS WHO HELPED US IN SOME MANNER. WITHOUT THE
PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT OF MANY PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THIS
PROJECT, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO COMPLETE IT. WE WANT TO
CONVEY OUR GRATITUDE AND OBLIGATION TO OUR SUPERVISORS FOR THEIR
UNWAVERING SUPPORT, KINDNESS, AND PATIENCE DURING THE PROJECT.



LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE'D WANT TO EXPRESS OUR GRATITUDE TO EVERYONE

WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PROJECT, WHETHER DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY. THIS PROJECT HAS TAKEN A LOT OF TIME AND WORK ON OUR
PART. THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, HOWEVER, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN
FEASIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP AND ADVICE OF A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO EACH AND EVERY

ONE OF THEM.