By Ryan Kang Jee Hong

Southeast Asia’s youth demographic isn’t just large, it’s full of untapped potential.

In Malaysia, thousands of young people step into the workforce every year, ambitious and hopeful.

But too many see those hopes fade as structural obstacles – inadequate opportunities, patchy connectivity and limited support – block their path to impact.

Latest data show that youth unemployment in Malaysia remains high. As of July 2025, youths aged 15–24 had an unemployment rate of 10.2 per cent, even while the national rate hovered at 3.0 per cent[i]. Access to the digital economy, often pitched as the answer for tomorrow’s jobs, can also be uneven.

According to the 2024 survey on ICT access by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), around 98.8 per cent of urban households had internet access, but only 90.3 per cent of rural households did[ii].

What this means in practice: a young person from a rural area may have fewer chances – fewer jobs, weaker connectivity, limited support.

For many, the gap between education or ambition and opportunity remains unbridged.

In my work engaging with young Malaysians, from students to freelancers to aspiring entrepreneurs,

I have encountered many promising ideas that faded. Not for lack of passion or talent, but because there was no stable platform, no support network, no consistent infrastructure and no scalable pathway.

We need more than encouragement and temporary programmes.

If this region is to transform, we need institutional pathways that treat youth not as beneficiaries but as partners in shaping the future.

Youth are already acting – it’s time we give them influence

We often hear youth being described as “future leaders”.

The truth is that many are leading today. Across ASEAN, young people have launched social enterprises, built community outreach programmes, developed digital tools, engaged in climate activism, and pushed for social inclusion.

Youth bring fresh perspectives.

Many understand digital technology well. Many connect deeply with community challenges. Many cares about fairness, inclusion and sustainability.

They live through the region’s rising economic uncertainty, climate stress and social inequities.

Their closeness to the ground gives them insight. Their energy gives them resilience. Ignoring this generation means sidelining some of ASEAN’s greatest assets.

To capture this potential, youth voices must be embedded in decision-making.

Not just consulted occasionally but given real representation in national and regional policymaking planning and institutional development.

What I learned at ASEAN Youth Fellowship 2025 – and why it matters

In November, I took part in the ASEAN Youth Fellowship (AYF) 2025.

Now in its seventh edition and co-organised by the National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore and the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), the programme brought together 42 young leaders from across Southeast Asia for dialogue exchange and learning.

Participants included social entrepreneurs, educators, technologists and community workers. What stood out was not just the diversity of backgrounds but shared experiences across borders.

During discussions and site visits we explored challenges such as digital inequality, inclusive development, climate resilience and social enterprise.

Despite coming from different countries and contexts many of us faced similar issues. That common ground revealed something important: the problems we face are often regional in nature and the solutions can be too.

AYF showed me that youth-led initiatives are not fringe-level ideas. They represent credible grounded responses to deeply-felt needs.

Equally meaningful were the cross-border friendships formed. Relationships built on shared values and trust, which made collaboration feel natural rather than forced.

These friendships also created a simple but powerful support network, where we could exchange ideas, compare approaches across countries, and learn from one another’s experiences in real time.

That experience reaffirmed what I already believed: youth should not only be part of the conversation. We should be part of the design.

What ASEAN and its member states could consider - from my standpoint

From where I stand, these are practical steps I believe can help unlock youth potential across Southeast Asia:

1. Institutionalise youth representation. Give youth formal roles in policymaking planning and regional cooperation, especially in areas like digital governance, social inclusion, sustainable urban development, and education.
2. Support cross-border youth collaboration. Beyond funding, ASEAN can help create structured platforms for sustained knowledge-sharing, peer learning and cross-country experimentation, allowing youth leaders to co-develop scalable solutions that benefit multiple member states.
3. Ensure equitable access to opportunity. Bridge gaps in digital infrastructure, education, and public services. This ensures youth from rural or underserved areas have the same chances as those in urban centres.
4. Treat youth as contributors. Not just as “future potential”. Youth today already have ideas, energy, and insights. They need opportunity, not just optimism. Treat them as partners now – in shaping policies, development and regional collaboration.

I am hopeful – because I’ve seen what youth can do

In conversations, in grassroots initiatives, in fledgling enterprises,

I see young people across Malaysia and ASEAN refusing to wait.

They build. They connect. They form friendships. They problem-solve.

If institutions give them space, trust and support – not just as rhetoric but as structures – I believe this generation can transform potential into impact.

Youth are ready.

It’s time we give them the chance to lead.

-- BERNAMA

Ryan Kang Jee Hong is Co-founder, UnBound Malaysia and ASEAN Youth Fellow 2025.

[i] Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2025, October 10). Labour Force Statistics, Malaysia, August 2025. Retrieved from https://www.statistics.gov.my/portal-main/release-document-log?release_document_id=16694

[ii] Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2025, April 24). ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey Report 2024. Retrieved from https://www.dosm.gov.my/site/downloadrelease?admin_view=&id=ict-use-and-access-by-individuals-and-households-survey-report-2024&lang=English