KOTA KINABALU: There has been no sharp increase in the number of jobless people in Sabah, which now stands at 15,000, despite the economic downturn over the past years, according to Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai.
The Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology said the number of unemployed people however tends to be higher at the end of the year when school leavers join the job hunt.
“They (school leavers) haven’t got any job, so we include them in the statistics. But once the school session starts, some will go to universities, polytechnics and other institutes of higher learning, and some will get employment,” he said after launching the Career Expo here at Suria Sabah here yesterday.
Yee said the Government would do its part to reduce the unemployment rate in the state.
He said the two-day Career Expo organised by his ministry is an annual event providing an avenue for job seekers and employers to interact, as well as an opportunity for training institutes and higher learning institutions to recruit students.
“The objective of the Career Expo is to spread information about training or courses offered by skills training institutes and public and private centres of higher learning,” he said.
The event helps address the issue of unemployment and manpower shortage both in the public and private sectors.
The expo features about 80 booths, including one set up by the police to provide information on career in the police force.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Resource Development and Information Technology, Datuk Matius Sator, said the event involves all agencies under the ministry, including the Human Resource Development Department, State Information Technology Development Unit, Sabah Energy Corporation and Sabah Skills and Technology Centre (SSTC).
Also present at the function were the Director of State Public Service Department, Datuk Haji Nordin Siman, and Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim.