KUALA LUMPUR: Money, career and the inability to find the right person are the three main reasons why many Malaysians are single.
This worrying trend has led to a decline in the fertility rate, which could turn Malaysia into an ageing nation, hindering its economic growth, if it is not dealt with.
This was revealed in the fifth Malaysian Population and Family Survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board in 2014.
It said financial problems were the main reason why many Malay-sian remained single, apart from wanting to focus on career advancement and difficulties in finding a suitable partner.
It involved 57,246 respondents in urban and rural areas.
For men, 56 per cent listed financial problems as the main reason, followed by having no suitor (18.4) and focusing on career advancement (9.4).
For women, 35.7 per cent stated that they had no suitors, financial problems (26) and career advancement (18.1).
Malaysian Statistics Department chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said as the percentage of those aged 65 and above increased following a higher life expectancy, the percentage of the working population that could contribute to economic development would decline.
Uzir said the impact of changes in the age structure could be illustrated through the dependency ratio — a measure that tells the proportion of the population not in the workforce, who are “dependent” (aged 0 to 14 and 16 and above) to those of working age (aged 15 to 64).
“The country’s dependency ratio is expected to increase from 47.8 in 2010 to 49.5 in 2040. The situation is considered serious when the dependency ratio is 50 and above.”
He said Malaysia’s population was expected to increase at a slower rate, with only 41.5 million people by 2040 from 28.6 million in 2010 — an increase of 12.9 million over 30 years.
The Federal Government is aware of these concerns and has introduced measures and incentives to encourage the younger generation to get married and have children.
These include mass-wedding programmes to reduce the financial burden on youth who cannot afford to get married.
The mass-wedding programmes were realised with the cooperation from state governments, religious bodies, including Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department, and non-governmental organisations.
Since its inception in 2013, the programme has benefited 808 couples.
Under the previous administration, the Federal Government introduced incentives in its 2018 Budget, including the Amanah Dana Anak Malaysia 2050, a trust fund that allows a baby born on, or after, Jan 1 this year until 2022, to receive RM200 in Amanah Saham Bumiputera units.
It also included an increase in the days of mandatory maternity leave for those working in the private sector to 90 days from 60, while for civil servants, the maternity leave was increased from 300 to 360 days throughout their service.
It stated that all newly-built office buildings were required to provide daycare centres, starting in the city centre.
In an effort to assist couples who suffer from infertility issues, it was reported that the government had been providing free fertility treatments to civil servants since 2001, as well as affordable services on reproductive health at government clinics and hospitals.
Sunway University Business School Professor of Economics Dr Yeah Kim Leng said while an ageing population spoke of the success and advances in healthcare and medicine, it presented challenges to economic stability.
He said the country’s productivity level and economic growth might slow or come to a standstill following changes in the population’s age structure.
“As the percentage of the working population that can contribute to economic development decreases, the government’s tax revenue will also decline.
“This means that the working population may be forced to pay more to support the non-working population.
“At the same time, the government will need to set aside more funds for healthcare, pensions, social security programmes and to build retirement homes for the increasing elderly population.”
He said raising the retirement age might become an important component to ensure and maintain a stable working population, while also allowing people to save more for their retirement.
