More Job Fairs in Felda Schemes

BANDAR MUADZAM: More job fairs will be held in Felda land schemes nationwide in a move to provide equal opportunities to the second generation living in the area who are jobless.

Deputy Human Resource Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan said efforts would be taken to hold job fairs in Felda areas as many there were still clueless about the jobs available.

“We should bring job fairs to Felda schemes and show the people, especially the unemployed, what is available in the public and private sectors.

“Many of them have no idea how to go about seeking career opportunities,” she told reporters after opening a one-day job fair held at SK Felda Keratong 10 here recently.

She said the fair in Felda Keratong 10 was a success as it attracted some 3,000 job-seekers, mainly youths, who registered with the Labour Department.

Of the 3,000, 240 landed offers from companies participating in the fair, she added.

“The number of people who turned up at the job fair is high considering the place is located in a rural area.

“It is considered a success. The organisers did not expect the event to get such good response. Among the people who came were unemployed graduates,” said Maznah, who is also Muadzam Shah assemblyman.

She commended the hard work of the Labour Department staff led by its director Mohamad Sazali Keteh, as well as staff from various agencies and departments, community leaders and the Felda management in Keratong.

She reminded job-seekers that it was equally important to do follow-ups and check on their status after registering themselves with the department.

“Those who check their status regularly will get attention from prospective employers.

“Do not just stay at home and wait for a job to fall into your lap,” she added.

She also advised job-seekers to accept whatever offers they got while waiting for the right one for their abilities and qualifications, as the experience gained would be useful.

Mohamad Sazali said 15 job fairs had been carried out in Pahang from January to October and some 3,000 people had successfully gained employment.

Earlier in her speech, Maznah said more than 300,000 job-seekers had registered with the Labour departments nationwide and there was an almost equal number of job vacancies posted by employers via the department’s job portal.

“On paper, there are enough jobs for everyone but not all applicants can fulfill the employers’ criteria.

“The department will try its best to get a good match that will benefit both parties,” she said.

Source: The Star

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1. Career Fairs in Feb & Mar 2010
2. Over 1 million jobs at Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)
3. 70,000 New Registrations at JobsMalaysia
4. Too many vacancies but hard to find workers
5. Karnival Pekerjaan 2008 – Kuching Chapter

Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.