Studies show that many Malaysian school leavers are contemplating between a gig career or academic directions. — 123rf.com
STUDENT Deena Ibrahim (not her real name) is sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia at the end of the month.
Nevertheless, the 17-year-old from Subang Jaya is more anxious about the path she will take next after the examination; should she continue to study or become a content creator?
Deena is among thousands of school leavers contemplating between career or academic directions, following recent studies that found almost half of them in this country are not interested in furthering their studies.
“I am good at creating videos and thousands of views on my TikTok and YouTube. I am already making some money out of it. If I can focus more on doing that, I can make more.
“I can even take jobs if hired by people who want me to make videos for them,” she says.
However, Deena’s parents are not too keen on her possible ventures.
“They want me to continue my studies. At least to study more about my interests. That is not a bad idea. But do I need a college degree for that? There are so many successful content creators who are without papers.
“But come to think of it, maybe I do need the papers. My father said I need to be the best at what I do. So, I think I will go to college after SPM.”
But for a graphic designer, despite its glamour of independence, the gig industry is not easy to live with. The 26-year-old who declined to be named, says he is in a predicament due to inconsistent income for over two years.
“I started a few months after the pandemic lockdown was slowly lifted. As I was laid off because of the pandemic, I thought it would be a good idea to work independently, taking jobs producing graphic designs for websites and advertisements.
“When the money first started coming in, I thought I was on the right path. I want to run my own outfit.”
Nevertheless, things started to get difficult when companies began to reopen and function just as they did pre-pandemic.
“When companies are running in full swing, they do not need part-time collaborators. They have their designers or reform partnerships with other established designer companies. And now, I have a bigger competition.”
Grab Drivers Malaysia Association president Arif Asyraf Ali reminds gig worker aspirants that there are no guarantees of success in the industry.
“The only advantage about taking gigs is the flexible working hours. But the irregular income, lack of benefits such as permanent employment, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Social Security Organisation (Socso) and medical, are disadvantageous in the future.”
He advises school leavers who want to earn income through gig work to only do so while studying.
“The best recommendation is for them to work while studying, that is if they need to cover their cost of living and tuition fees. The country still needs full-fledged experts in the future (from the current generation).”
Arif says the gig industry in the country remains fluid and dependent on trends.
“(For e-hailing drivers) after a few years, we see a drop in fares, making it an unstable job.
“There are times that we will do well and otherwise, depending on factors that can affect the gig economy ecosystem. Unless there are no other alternative vocations, it is better to look for a more stable, permanent job.
“We (e-hailing drivers) see this job as temporary due to the income uncertainty.”
Arif also says that the government should move to protect the gig economy and industry.
“An act or bodies should be established to protect and regulate the industry. This is so that the interests and benefits of workers are protected and not arbitrarily boxed in by gig service companies.
“Transparent laws need to be in place so that industry players are guaranteed of their welfare to equally benefit from the gig economy.”
