{
  "id": 17593311,
  "title": "Fresh grads, no experience, no job: Malaysia’s catch-22 in the AI age",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/fresh-grads-no-experience-no-job-malaysias-catch-22-in-the-ai-age",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-01T11:44:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2026/11/01/fresh-grads-no-experience-no-job-malaysias-catch-22-in-the-ai-age/241618"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — Fresh graduates in Malaysia are facing a challenging situation as artificial intelligence (AI) makes it harder to secure their first job, despite the country's healthy labor market. Andy Iskandar Baharudin, a 23-year-old finance graduate, has made over 100 applications since his internship ended in July, but struggles to find work. Similarly, Nafeesa Azman, a 24-year-old marketing graduate, has sent out 200-300 applications since her internship concluded about two months ago. Both graduates blame AI for the decrease in entry-level positions and the subsequent drop in pay. AI has taken over routine tasks such as note-taking, slide preparation, and data compilation, which once helped train newcomers. The labor market in Malaysia is represented by a 10.1% unemployment rate among those aged 15-24, with 35.2% of employed tertiary-educated workers in semi-skilled or low-skilled roles. The Human Resource Ministry reported that 1.6 million graduates, or 32.2% of the graduate workforce, are underemployed in 2024. The Ministry stated that they are accelerating labour market reforms, while a study found that 600,000 existing jobs are at risk from AI. Despite the risk to jobs, up to 60% of employers across 10 key sectors expect AI to create new positions. The International Labour Organization estimates that nearly 80 million South-east Asian workers will be affected by AI, though no large-scale job losses have been observed yet. Singapore is also grappling with the impact of AI, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressing concern that AI may have broken the \"bottom rung\" of the career ladder. Singapore plans to subsidize firms taking on interns and has launched a S$1 billion (RM3.19 billion) plan to support worker upskilling, infrastructure, hardware, and research. Young professionals like Andy simply want to work, gain experience, and build their own careers.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 — With the national jobless rate at just 2.9 per cent, Malaysia’s labour market looks he...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}