Supported employment : persons with learning difficulties in Malaysia

Many studies in the minority world have emphasized the potentially positive influences of supported as opposed to sheltered employment on the inclusion of persons with disabilities, including learning difficulties, into the mainstream economy and community. In 2007, Malaysia, as one of the developing countries which possesses a growing population of persons with learning difficulties, started to promote this form of employment hoping for similar outcomes. However, in the majority world where a country is designing policy for the first time and is at the relatively early stages of implementation, there has been little research to explore supported employment practices for persons with learning difficulties and offer empirical findings from real employment experiences. Thus, this thesis aims to fill this gap through providing some substantial evidence and new insights. The social theory of disability and the debates around it have been particularly influential in the past three decades. These have helped to shape the approach of this research into understanding the experiences of persons with learning difficulties in the labour market in Malaysia. The study also covers the general understanding of disability from an Islamic perspective. Theoretical approaches to career and career development are also discussed before specifically focusing on the barriers faced in accessing a working life and developing a career in paid jobs as well as achieving greater social integration. The empirical contribution of the thesis is through a study of supported employment initiated in Malaysia to enable persons with learning difficulties to work in the mainstream retail sector, and sets that experience in the context of relevant policy and practice. It aims to produce key insights into the ‘lived realities’ of employees with learning difficulties taking part in the scheme. It foregrounds their perceptions but also explores the viewpoints of government officials, managers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) coordinators involved in the development of policy and practice relating to the scheme. The research participants were drawn from the 82 employees with learning difficulties engaged in the supported employment scheme in a retail company, together with seven managers involved with the scheme, eight government officials and three NGOs coordinators. One finding of the study is that, in general, supported employment is likely to help to reduce the stigma associated with having a disability. However, while most persons with learning difficulties believe themselves to have the ability to work in supported employment, others, including those who are providing support for their entry to the workforce, still have doubts. Notwithstanding enjoying many aspects of their working lives in supported employment, some employees face difficulties in developing interpersonal relationships in the workplace and achieving much better control of their own lives than is often assumed to result from having a job. The findings also suggest that stability in the political, economic and social environment facilitate the development of better policy in this complex area. Commitment from the company is vitally important to guarantee the success of the scheme. The existence of international policy frameworks are also helpful and cross-country collaboration has been tremendously beneficial, in particular that between Malaysian institutions and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Further development of policy and practice is required, especially in enriching the understanding of disability issues among most government officials, managers and NGOs coordinators, taking greater account of the research evidence that points to the limited awareness of and specific knowledge about disability issues, particularly for persons with learning difficulties and their employability. The voices and views of persons with learning difficulties should also be better acknowledged in setting priorities for disability-related reform. Finally, in order to sustain and develop supported employment more effectively, there is a fundamental need to upgrade the education and training system for this group as well as to intensify collaboration between government departments

Effects of Perceived Organisational Support and Emotional Intelligence on Turnover Intention among Logistics Drivers

The turnover trends in the logistics industry are surprisingly high, regardless of the rapid growth of the industry. Turnover contributes to an impactful loss for the industry to tolerate the new recruitment costs, time consumption, performance disruption, and moral decline among employees due to the workload transfer. Previous literature presented various factors affecting turnover intention, and it could be concluded that factors within an organisation and individual play an essential role in turnover actions. Hence, this research focuses on perceived organisational support and emotional intelligence as factors to turnover intention among logistics drivers in Selangor. Eighty respondents from POS Logistics Berhad in Selangor participated in self-administered survey questions of Survey Perceived Organizational Support, Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Turnover Intention Scale. Results revealed that most of the respondents have a moderate level of POS (84%) and a high level of EI (91%). In comparison, slightly half have a low level of TOI (56%). Research also found that POS and EI have no significant relationship with turnover intention, which is contrary to previous literature. Similarly, three criteria of EI; self-emotion appraisal, uses of emotions, and others-emotions appraisal also have no significant relationship with turnover intention. Only regulations of emotions (r=0.024, p=0.031) has significant relationship with turnover intention. Since the current study location was restricted for a few branches of Pos Logistics in Selangor, it limits the result of the study due to misrepresent the whole community fairly. Future researchers are encouraged to extend or increase the sampling size to other companies and regions to make better generalisations

Factors influencing return to work in Malaysia: a systematic literature review

Previous studies have highlighted various factors that contribute to return to work, such as recovery expectations, depression, job satisfaction, stress, gender, age, employer interest, motivation, intervention duration, and type of injury. However, there is a need to synthesize and analyse the existing literature to gain a comprehensive understanding of the considerations specific to the Malaysian context. This systematic literature review aims to identify the influencing factors to return to work among individuals who have experienced work-related injuries or illnesses in Malaysia and explore their implications for policy and practices. The PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) review approach is used for this review. Three digital databases of Google Scholar, SCOPUS, and PubMed databases were searched resulted in 21 related studies. The factors were categorised into four major factors: socio-demographic, psychological and personal, disease and treatment-related and work-related factors. These factors include gender, age, year of injury, industry, job hierarchy, employer interest, motivation, intervention duration, and type of injury. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted various impediments to returning to work, such as a lack of workplace support, insufficient rehabilitation programs, and financial concerns. These findings are substantial for policymakers and practitioners to develop targeted interventions and support systems that address the specific needs of individuals returning to work after work-related injuries or illnesses. By considering these factors, policies and practices can be tailored to improve the likelihood of successful return to work and promote the well-being of employees in Malaysia

UPSKILLING AND RESKILLING STUDY FOR BETTER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AMONG YOUTH

The study was commissioned to investigate the skills gaps brought about by the IR4.0 among TVET educated youth nationwide, in order to devise the appropriate interventions in terms of policies and action plans. The study was conducted for a period of six months commencing 1 October 2020 until 31 March 2021 in collaboration with the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak with members form the University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), University Putra Malaysia (UPM), University Technology Malaysia (UTM) and University Malaysia Kelantan (UMK). The study adopted a mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative approaches in addition to desk research. It commissioned a series of focus group discussions among key stakeholders consisting of all the eight ministries that oversee their respective TVET providers operations. In addition, these sessions were also conducted with other related government agencies such as the Institute of Labour Market Information & Analysis, Social Security Organisation, Human Resources Development Fund, Department of Skills Development, Malaysian Qualification Agencies, and Industry Lead Body. To gain perspectives from the industry, a series of focus group discussions were also held with employers in all the six zones namely Central, Northern, Southern, Eastern, Sabah and Sarawak in which a total of sixty people had participated, comprising of senior managers who are in charge of training and recruitment in their respective companies. The sessions were jointly organised with the Social Security Organisation whose representatives were also present during the sessions to deliver a special talk on MyFutureJobs and Hiring Incentives. A separate session was also conducted with the Majlis Belia Malaysia consisting of twenty-six leaders from youth organisations throughout Malaysia to seek their input and feedback for the study. An online nationwide youth survey was also conducted in which a total of 982 respondents participated comprising of those aged between 15 to 40 years. The results revealed a high rate of employment among youth, with 60.4 percent of the 982 respondents surveyed currently employed. The remaining 39.6 percent are either not in the labour force or still searching for jobs. Despite this, employment distributions show regional variations, with a higher share of employment in Central, Northern, and Southern zones while a higher incidence of unemployment in the East Coast, Sabah, and Sarawak. This trend is found to be aligned with the trend in the 2019 labour force survey. Job hierarchy distributions were identified as a source of concern. While most of the TVET-trained youth worked in semi-skilled occupations, only a small number were occupying high skill jobs. Furthermore, female employment in high-skilled jobs was lower than male youth. For example, only three out of every ten high-skill jobs were held by females. In addition, males were more likely to work in non-service industries like manufacturing and construction, while females were more likely to work in service industries like retail, hospitality, and education. The study shows that there is a lack of adequate skill matching and training needs among youth. Youth, regardless of their demographics, have been confirmed to be lacking in preparation for challenging duties and potential employment. While youth experienced a high pace of technological changes and new technologies in their jobs or workplaces, TVET youth received little on-the-job training, putting them at risk of lacking necessary skills. In the low-skilled category, skill matching is higher than in the high-skilled category. Although both male and female youth had a high percentage of skill matches, female youth were more likely to have low skill matches due to the skill needed for the employment and the skill they already had. According to the TVET survey, the majority of TVET graduates reported that their jobs required both technical and soft skills. The majority of youth agreed that their basic skills should be strengthened in all dimensions (technical, numeracy, literacy, computer, and English). In order to be ready for IR4.0 work environments, the majority of respondents (70 percent - 85 percent) stated that they needed to develop their core competency skills. Similarly, participants in the focus groups said that while TVET graduates had adequate technical skills, they lacked communication, complex problem-solving, and creative thinking skills, all of which are needed in a challenging workplace. The issues regarding qualification matching were also reported. More than half of those polled stated that their qualifications did not match the requirements of their jobs. In the overqualification group, the mismatch was greater at 45.5%. As a result, less than half (46.2%) of the respondents stated that jobs matched their qualifications. While gender did not affect mismatch, youth with Diploma and higher were more likely to experience overqualification. Overqualification is common in low and semi-skilled job categories. It appears that more young people in Sabah are working for wages that were lower than their qualifications (overqualified); youth in the Eastern region, on the other hand, were more likely to be employed in jobs that required higher qualifications than their own (underqualified). In terms of field of study, slightly more than half of the respondents (56.5%) reported that their TVET specializations were very relevant and just slightly above a quarter stated it was moderately relevant. These awee mostly witnessed in those holding high-skills jobs. A small proportion of the respondents stated that their specialisation was irrelevant to their jobs particularly those in the overqualified group. Youth who were working in the non-services sectors tended to have a greater relevancy of their specialisation to their jobs. The study also found that industries such as manufacturing as well as oil & gas tended to have a higher proportion of employees having TVET education compared to employers in the services and plantation sectors. Another major finding of the study is the wage differential issues that occurs particularly in terms of gender in which female youth reported a much lower income than male youth. In addition, those with matched qualification to their job reported higher income than those working in jobs that did not match their qualifications. The study has put forward key recommendations that encompass the whole spectrum of TVET implementation in Malaysia. These include jobs creation and career development, upskilling and reskilling needs, rebranding of TVET focusing on quality and future potentials, establishment of integrated TVET labour market information through data warehouse as well wages enhancement initiatives

Covid-19's impact on the physical environments of people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic literature review

COVID-19 pandemic is a public health issue. From 2019 to 2022, 4.5 million people died from the COVID-19 epidemic. Consequently, COVID-19 has put a significant strain on every single creature in this world. COVID-19 has been associated with lockdown, thus resulting in lockdown related inequities towards most people in this world, with unanticipated consequences for people with disabilities. Building in this debate, this paper aimed to discuss on the impacts of COVID-19 on the physical health of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Based on the Prisma protocol, this systematic literature review examined 28 publications from Web Sources of Science and Scopus.The study identified three themes regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the physical environment of people with intellectual disabilities namely mental health, social isolation, severe health problems, socioeconomic and psychology. This study has significant implications in understanding how PWID are impacted by COVID 19 and urged that early preventative measures should be taken since People with Intellectual Disabilities are considered a vulnerable population, therefore it is crucial to ensure that their health status are sustained

Experience in employment and meaning of independent living among adults with learning difficulties

Participation in open employment is deemed as a means to independent living for the majority of persons with disabilities. However, the experience of being independent could have resulted differently for persons with learning difficulties who joined the labour market. Thus, it is substantial to understand the real meaning of ‘independence’ for persons with learning difficulties by exploring their life experiences after joining open employment. This study examined the knowledge and perspectives of persons with learning difficulties who joined integrated employment and linked the resulting changes brought about to their personal and social lives. Twenty-three persons with learning difficulties aged between 20 to 35 years old working in the retail sector in Malaysia participated in focused group interviews. A thematic analysis was conducted, and the themes connected to the markers of adulthood -biological, cognitive, emotional, role transitions, and responsibilities- to relate to the meaning of independent living. Findings suggest that the most explicit description of their personal and social lives is their dependency on parental support. Besides, their limitation to deal with everyday tasks also contributes to the ambiguity of independence. Despite having secure employment and are biologically adequate to be viewed as an adult, most of them are still far from stepping forward and leading their lives independently. Besides, the beliefs and cultural values also do shape the social construction of independence among persons with learning difficulties. Hence, it is essential to develop healthier surroundings to empower them to achieve meaningful lives

Effects of Perceived Organisational Support and Emotional Intelligence on Turnover Intention Among Logistics Drivers

The turnover trends in the logistics industry are surprisingly high, regardless of the rapid growth of the industry. Turnover contributes to an impactful loss for the industry to tolerate the new recruitment costs, time consumption, performance disruption, and moral decline among employees due to the workload transfer. Previous literature presented various factors affecting turnover intention, and it could be concluded that factors within an organisation and individual play an essential role in turnover actions. Hence, this research focuses on perceived organisational support and emotional intelligence as factors to turnover intention among logistics drivers in Selangor. Eighty respondents from POS Logistics Berhad in Selangor participated in self-administered survey questions of Survey Perceived Organizational Support, Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Turnover Intention Scale. Results revealed that most of the respondents have a moderate level of POS (84%) and a high level of EI (91%). In comparison, slightly half have a low level of TOI (56%). Research also found that POS and EI have no significant relationship with turnover intention, which is contrary to previous literature. Similarly, three criteria of EI; self-emotion appraisal, uses of emotions, and others-emotions appraisal also have no significant relationship with turnover intention. Only regulations of emotions (r=0.024, p=0.031) has significant relationship with turnover intention. Since the current study location was restricted for a few branches of Pos Logistics in Selangor, it limits the result of the study due to misrepresent the whole community fairly. Future researchers are encouraged to extend or increase the sampling size to other companies and regions to make better generalisations

Mother! I'm autistic. Am I a burden to you?

Having children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a demanding undertaking, which requires high commitments from their caretakers. In response to this, this research was conducted to explore the lived experiences of low-income mothers with ASD children. This research is qualitative research, which utilized the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four participants were recruited for the present study, consisting of low-income mothers who have children with ASD and a monthly household income of less than MYR3000. All participants completed at least two semi-structured interviews and were recorded digitally, transcribed, analysed, and interpreted. The analysis showed that the participants perceived having ASD children as a challenge. They associated the challenges with mental preparation issues, difficulties in the career adjustments process, conflicts in child care, and the differences in parenting approaches. As an implication, understanding mothers' experiences with ASD children is crucial towards providing the necessary supports

A review paper on acceptance of students with disabilities among non-disabled students in the higher education institution

The current conceptual paper focuses on students with disabilities in higher education, where the inclusive education initiative has paved the way for them to further their education. Higher education institutions, on the other hand, have a different environment than schools, and it takes more effort for them to adjust and fit in with their non-disabled peers. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide a general understanding of students with disabilities in higher education, including definitions of students with disabilities, policies, theories, and issues related to their acceptance among non-disabled students. Positive acceptance from peers is expected to help students with disabilities improve their self-esteem, academic performance, and mental health. The internal and external reinforcers of acceptance, which explain the influence of inner qualities and environmental factors surrounding a person in developing acceptance, are among the key issues discussed in the paper. A positive attitude toward students with disabilities can be anticipated by identifying the factors. As a result, a welcoming environment for students with disabilities to pursue higher education can be created