KUCHING: The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak (MYSED) continues to intensify efforts to enhance youth employability in Sarawak through a range of targeted initiatives.

Its Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Ripin Lamat said his ministry works closely with relevant federal and state agencies, including the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), through strategic employment platforms such as MYFutureJobs, the Sarawak e-Recruitment System and the newly introduced JobsSarawak to improve job matching, talent placement and employer accessibility.

He said these initiatives are further complemented by Sarawak Government programmes, particularly the Graduate Enhancement Training Sarawak-Work Readiness Programme (GETS-WRP), which aims to strengthen graduate marketability through structured work-readiness training, industry exposure and direct engagement with employers.

“The impact of these initiatives was clearly demonstrated during the 2025 Sarawak Youth Week Celebration in Bintulu, where 56 out of 196 participants secured on-the-spot employment offers while another 48 progressed to second-stage interviews.

“The ministry also prioritises youth entrepreneurship as a career and create more job opportunities through flagship programmes such as Sarawak Youth StartUp (SYStartUP), Youth Entrepreneur Setup (YES), BeliaGoBiz, Sarawak Youth Business Idea Competition (SayBIC) as well as strategic collaborations with higher learning institutions and industry players,” he said.

He said this when responding to a question from Tebedu Assemblyman Dr Simong Sinang Bada at the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Friday.

According to Datuk Dr Ripin, the state recorded an unemployment rate of 3.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2025 based on the Sarawak Quarterly Principal Labour Force Statistics released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

He added that the figure is consistent with data from the Sarawak Labour Department (JTK) which recorded a comparable rate of three per cent for 2025, reflecting a stable labour market environment in the state.

“As youth in Sarawak are defined within the 15 to 40 age group, these figures suggest a steady improvement in youth employability,” he said. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Sarah Nicole Hii
Photo by: Hazrin Sunaini