Concerns over unemployment among Malaysians have risen in the past year, following the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the movement control order (MCO).
A survey by market research company Ipsos found that the unemployment fears had increased by 12% among respondents to 51% from a year ago. It said in May 2019, only 39% of the 500 respondents surveyed said they were worried about unemployment.
At the same time, concerns over corruption and crime had fallen. The survey found that 52% of respondents last year were concerned about corruption, but in May this year, only 39% expressed the same concerns. As for crime, 34% of respondents in May last year were worried about the issue, but this year, it dropped to just 18%.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Ipsos said the appetite for major purchases such as a car or a house had declined. In comparison, it found that 50% of respondents were comfortable about making a major purchase in August 2018 compared to just 27% in May this year. “Comfort in making major purchases has been on a continuous decline since before the Covid-19 crisis, and now it is at its lowest point in more than two years,” said the survey, which was released on Monday. Similarly, there was a drop in the comfort level of Malaysians purchasing household items, dropping from 55% in August 2018 to 30% in May.
The survey is conducted monthly in 28 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system.
