Fluency In English Is What Employer Look For...

I’M writing in because the The Star had recently highlighted the quality of English among graduates.

According to the reports, our younger generation is not as fluent in English as the generation before. This has resulted in Malaysians losing the global competitive edge.

Being involved in the recruitment and business transactions in Malaysia and globally, I can see that Malaysians are lagging behind our neighbours in English competency.

The younger generation of jobseekers must realise that verbal and written communication in English is the number one skill employers look for. A sceptical jobseeker may argue that subject matter expertise is what matters most.

Nevertheless, the ability to communicate is a key driver for any employee to advance his career. An employee who cannot express himself creates miscommunication and confusion. He may be unable to serve customers’ needs efficiently.

Also, surveys have shown that when an employee is not proficient in English, he is less confident of himself. Employers need people who not only know their work, but who can also communicate effectively at all levels, be it to colleagues or clients.

A loss in productivity is something companies today cannot afford. Therefore, they will be more selective when employing people. Often, this means the candidate who is not proficient in English is disadvantaged.

So if jobseekers do not want to lose out on opportunities, they need to improve their standard of English. This is what we must impress upon today’s jobseekers. If you look at JobMalaysia, most of jobseekers are Malay looking for a job in Gomen's sector, why? Because they are unable to compete in private sector, thanks to some political parties who are very concern about national language.

I believe by continuously highlighting the issues, as The Star is doing, the future generation will be aware of the reality of the situation. However, I have a feeling that the Malays will never awake on the importance of fluency in English, thanks to geng songkok tinggi.

Through a concerted effort by society, schools and the Government, Malaysia can rise to the challenge at hand.