KUCHING: Malaysia Trade Union Council (MTUC) Sarawak secretary Andrew Lo believes that the extension of retirement age to 60 years old in the private sector will not lead to high unemployment among graduates.
He said many graduates were unemployed even now because they were too choosy and picky when it came to seeking jobs.
“The country has many job opportunities to be filled up by locals and also foreign workers.
“So, the extension of the retirement age will not stop university graduates from getting jobs,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He was asked to comment on the suggestion by MTUC vice president A. Balasubramaniam that the government extend the retirement age in the private sector to 60 years old.
Balasubramaniam said the rationale was to retain the human capital and increase productivity.
On a related matter, Lo said the unattractive wages in the private sector could be the reason graduates remain unemployed.
He said the Tenth Malaysia Plan tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not address the critical issues of bigger salaries or setting minimum wage level.
“MTUC has for so long questioned the low wages in this country because it can affect productivity while the employers continue to use cheap labour, not innovative labour,” he said.