Gen Z: Walking a different career path

A total of 68 percent of Generation Z (Gen Z) in Malaysia choose to pursue freelance jobs, according to a survey conducted by INTI International University & Colleges.

In August 2017, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) reported that the Malaysian freelancing economy has grown by 31 percent - making Malaysia the third largest freelancing market in Asia.

INTI Senior Vice President, Marketing, Timothy Johnson said the freelancing economy is changing the way how Gen Z think about careers and has expanded job prospects beyond traditional employment.

"Gen Z are self-starters. When we did the survey, 68 percent said they wanted to start their own businesses. It has got nothing to do with the fact that they couldn't find a job," he added.

"There are more than 200,000 fresh graduates who are out of jobs but 68 percent said they want to start their own jobs.

"It is not that there are no job opportunities for them. They have made the decision for themselves," he commented on the survey.

The survey was conducted on 300 full-time freelancers who represent professional fields of work including business, marketing, IT and computer science, culinary arts, and art and design.