STEP 2

IDENTIFY PROBLEMS

What main situation or issues or problem behind the topic?

    Job losses during the pandemic COVID-19 have been more serious for certain groups of people. COVID-19 has had an impact on unemployment rates in our country, which has reached its highest level since the Movement Control Order (MCO). The MCO measures include restrictions on movement, assembly, and international travel. It also mandated the closure of businesses, industries, governments, and educational institutions. As was the case, new regulations were enforced in the workplace, resulting in many people losing their jobs. In the meantime, this is driving worries and concerns about overall finances to the point where it affects the whole lifestyle, household finances, and bills. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, those who have lost their jobs have faced difficulties and struggled to pay expenses like rent, mortgage, utilities, medical care, and food insecurity. These types of experiences are more common among low-income adults in their previous jobs. Many people lose their jobs and sources of income as a result of the COVID-19 transmission. Many businesses had to close. More than 800,000 people have lost their jobs. This is due to the implementation of the Movement Control Order, which rendered the public unable to work. The movement of the people is limited. The company also had to close. This is to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Concerns about job loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic are the highest level of concern compared to concerns over the threat of COVID-19 brought by illegal immigrants (PATI), quality of education, and inadequate salaries. Even those from urban areas are seen to have higher concerns than those from rural areas.

PROBLEM ANALYSIS

    Those who have lost their employment have encountered problems and battled to meet bills such as rent, mortgage, utilities, medical care, and food insecurity since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic. This is because the Movement Control Order was implemented, rendering the public unable to work. Even people living in cities are regarded to be more concerned than those living in rural regions. The greatest source of anxiety is job loss. Those who have lost their jobs are thus looking at a long period of unemployment, cooped up mostly inside their homes. Many would have dealt with their situation in private, without distressing the family. Research from prior economic downturns shows that job loss is associated with increased depression, anxiety, distress, and low self-esteem and may lead to higher rates of substance use disorder and suicide. 

    During the pandemic, adults in households with job loss or lower incomes have higher rates of mental illness symptoms than those in households without job or income loss (53% vs. 32%). In addition to increased anxiety and depression, job loss may lead to other adverse mental health outcomes, such as substance use disorder. During the previous recession, the high unemployment rate was also associated with  an increase in suicides. A KFF Health Tracking Poll conducted in mid-July 2020 found that a higher share of households experiencing income or job loss reported that pandemic-related worry or anxiety caused them to experience at least one adverse effect on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping or eating; increases in alcohol consumption or substance use; and worsening chronic conditions (46% vs. 59%, respectively).

    As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the globe, it is causing widespread dread, worry, and concern among the general public, as well as specific groups such as older folks, caregivers, and those with underlying health concerns. In our country, to date, the main psychological impact on public mental health has been increased rates of stress or worry. However, once new policies and consequences are implemented, such as quarantine and its repercussions on many people's normal activities, routines, or livelihoods, loneliness, depression, dangerous alcohol and drug use, and self-harm or suicide behaviour are predicted to escalate. In this context, the Department of Statistics reported that Covid-19's economic impact can be seen in the high unemployment rate and the depreciation in the Ringgit against the US dollar. 

    The unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in January 2020, but it continued to rise until May 2020, when it reached 5.3 percent. Despite government incentives, businesses may be forced to fire employees in order to save money. Fear, concern, and anxiety are triggered in such situations, leading to stress and sadness in the individual. Suicide and suicidal behaviour have increased as a result of the pandemic. Last year, 266 persons committed themselves, according to police records, between March 18 and October 30. Between January and May of this year, there were 53 suicides and 19 attempted suicides in Penang alone. Economic troubles have resulted in businesses closing and people being laid off, adding to the stress. Financial stress can be fatal since it affects a person's mental and physical health. The fear of losing your work and the stress of trying to make ends meet can push a person to breaking point. What's more, when a person loses their work, they lose their self-esteem. People will be unable to subsist without jobs, and this trend will continue to push them over the edge. As businesses continue to lay off workers, we must some form of economic activity to not only stimulate the economy but also to provide stress-relieving occupations that will provide financial security in this difficult time.

SUPPORTING DATA / STATISTIC REGARDING THE ISSUES

    

  

Figure 1 – Job Losses During Covid-19 

    Figure 1 shows the trends between 2019 and 2020 of job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. From the graph, we can see that the numbers of unemployment are increasing from March until December. Job losses increased by 42% year-on-year in line graph Q 2020. Covid-19 has caused many businesses experiencing a drop in demand of up to 37% or an inability to operate as usual of up to 42%. This trend is only expected to accelerate from April 2020 onwards, with job losses increasing by 50% to 200% year-n-year for each subsequent quarter in 2020. The impact of Covid-19 brings to high unemployment rates. 

Figure 2 – Financial Issues 

    According to the Figure 2, most of the people who have struggled financially when being dismissed during the Covid-19 crisis started in February 2019 that differ widely by race, ethnicity and income. During coronavirus outbreak, the percentages of worries is all about money which was the main issue that simulate the anxiety. Money generally is important for a living to pay bills and so on. As can see from the chart, most of the issue are those having trouble for paying bills, rents and mortgages. They had to use their saving in order to get a food supply and pays important bills. For a lower income as of 46%, they usually and tend to receive food from a food bank or organization to survive during the pandemic. 

Figure 3 – Unemployment Issues 

    Figure 3 shows unemployment persons and unemployment rate, 1982 – 2021 and January 2020 – January 2022. The chart below shows the number of unemployed persons starting in 2019 to 2020 showing a drastic increase of 711.0 person. Then increase again to 741.4 people in 2021. The unemployment rate in January 2021 was 4.9 % which shows an increase from December 2020. A significant year-on-year increase due to the implementation of MCO in Peninsular Malaysia in January 2020. By looking at the category of unemployment, 83.7% of the total unemployed persons were those who were available for work and is actively looking for work or actively unemployed.

Figure 4 – Adult Reporting Symptoms of Anxiety/Depressive Disorder during Covid-19 Pandemic by Household Job Loss Status 

    Job loss may result in additional negative mental health consequences, such as drug use disorder, in addition to increased anxiety and sadness. The last recession's high unemployment rate was similarly linked to a surge in suicides. According to a KFF Health Tracking Poll conducted in mid-July 2020, a higher share of households experiencing income or job loss reported that pandemic-related worry or stress caused at least one adverse effect on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping or eating, increases in alcohol consumption or substance use, and worsening chronic conditions (46 percent vs. 59 percent, respectively) 

Figure 5 – Percent of Adults who says worry or stress related to the Coronavirus has had a negative impact on their Mental Health, by Household Income 

    Figure 5 shows KFF Health Monitoring Polls done during the pandemic also revealed that those with lower incomes are more likely to report significant negative mental health effects from fear or stress about the coronavirus. In December 2020, 35% of individuals earning less than $40,000 had a significant negative impact on their mental health, compared to 21% of those earning $40,000 to $89,999 and 17% of those earning $90,000 or more. 

IMAGE TO SUPPORT THE ISSUE 

Figure 6 – Impact of Covid-19 

    Heads of households in urban areas are still struggling to get jobs following a series of implementation of the Movement Control Order due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, unemployment among household heads remains high and incomes remain low compared to pre-crisis levels. This is one of the findings of the fourth series of Family Studies on the periphery by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Although the unemployment rate among the heads of families participating in the study has decreased since December, it is still at 12 per cent, which is 2.5 times higher than pre-crisis. "The unemployment rate among female heads of families remains 16 percent, or about three times the national average," the report said. In addition, the report also found that the overall median income excluding financial aid remained five per cent lower than it was before the COVID-19 crisis.

    The report found that fewer than six out of 10 respondents were unable to buy enough food for their families, while one in two were unable to either pay utility bills, House debt, and house rent on time. At the same time, one in four respondents said they still had to reduce their food intake while about one in three said it was difficult or very difficult to provide enough money to children to buy food at school. The project sponsored by UNICEF and UNFPA is to assist in policy formulation and promote public discourse on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and children in low-income families in cities in Malaysia. The project involved a study of 500 low-income families living in 16 low-cost public housing in Kuala Lumpur.

References

1.https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/06/702480/frightening-link-between-job-loss-and-suicides

2.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0249352

3.https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/09/24/economic-fallout-from-covid-19-continues-to-hit-lower-income-americans-the-hardest/

4.https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/covid19-data-center-worries/

5.https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/528823

6.https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/kesan-covid19-keluarga-miskin-bandar-masih-bergelut-untuk-hidup-kajian-unicef-unfpa-297431

7.https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/

8.https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=124&bul_id=UEpPd3dKQkM2ZVRnVFZ3T0w1d1Zrdz09&menu_id=Tm8zcnRjdVRNWWlpWjRlbmtlaDk1UT09