Page 24 - Surveyor 50.2 2015

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The Malaysian Surveyor

competition has become decidedly more challenging in the current global market place.
An online questionnaire survey was distributed randomly by email to QS firms to collect
data, which was later analysed by using statiscal software. The respondents consisted
of 33 employers in QS firms in Malaysia in order to obtain their own perspectives
regarding this study. The results show that employers put high levels of interest on
employability skills of prospective quantity surveying graduates. It is thus evident that
quantity surveying graduates need to be well-prepared in order to fulfill most of the
employer’s requirements which include the following skillsets: interpersonal, personal
quality, teamwork, information and communication technology (ICT), as well as basic
skills and resource skills.

Keywords: employability skills, employers, quantity surveying graduates.

1. Introduction being as important as technical skills. There are
In addition, (PAQS, 2001) developed and 80,000 technical
TThere are a variety of recommended eight skills or competencies graduates in the
interpretations of the that were required practically for country who are
terms of employability quantity surveyors by the institutes in still unemployed,
skills of graduates. Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, and graduates
Employability skills are New Zealand, Fiji and Sri Lanka which largely depend
to prepare graduates to covered Quantification/ Measurement,
obtain employment and develop a career Communication Skills, Personal and on academic
successfully in the future in the industry Interpersonal Skills, Business and qualifications
(Fugate, Kinicki, and Ashforth, 2004). Management Skills, Professional Practice, to get a job, but
Employability skills of graduates is widely Computer and Information Technology, many have little
regarded as the possession of graduates Construction Technology, Construction non-technical
in terms of the level of skills and attitudes, Law and Regulation. The employers in the or generic skills
the ability to use their skills to find work industry said that technical graduates in necessary to
and retention (Nabi, 2003). The skills to Malaysia have sufficient technical skills,
employability were often regarded as but employers are still not satisfied with employers
the most important raw material of the the communication skills, interpersonal,
organization (Perry, 2003). critical thinking, problem solving and
entrepreneurial skills possessed by
In Malaysia, the MQA (2006) in the graduates (Ramlee, 1999).
Malaysian Qualifications Framework
(MQF), outlined eight domains skills to be There are 80,000 technical graduates in
mastered by graduates before entering the country who are still unemployed, and
the industry, which are knowledge in the graduates largely depend on academic
areas studied, practical skills, social skills qualifications to get a job, but many
and responsibility, the value, attitude and have little non-technical or generic skills
professionalism, communication skills, necessary to employers (Ahmad Zaini,
leadership and teamwork, scientific 2005) in the construction industry.
problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial According to the Economic Planning Unit
and management skills, lifelong learning (2006), unemployment rose from 3.1%
skills and information management. (2000) to 3.5% (2010). The recent data by
Mohammad Sattar (2009) referred the Malaysia Economic In Figures (2013),
to employability skills as the ability of indicated unemployment rate in year 2011
non-technical and occupational skills until 2013 based on (EPU, 2013) to be

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