Sim Chee Keong (fourth right), Gobind (third left), Mustapha Sakmud (third right) and (starting from left) TalentCorp board chairman Wong Shu Qi, Digital Ministry secretary-general Fabian Bigar, Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Azman Mohd Yusof and TalentCorp group chief executive officer Thomas Mathew having a look at the report books after the launch of the “Impact study of AI, digital and the green economy on the Malaysian workforce” at Mitec in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 18. — Photos by IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Over 60 emerging roles are expected to support the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation and green economy in Malaysia, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
He said this would include AI engineers, sustainability experts and bioprocess engineers, among others, following findings of a full impact study made by the ministry’s think tank, TalentCorp Malaysia (TalentCorp).
“The study also found that over 600,000 jobs would be needing improvement in terms of skills within the next three to five years.
“These jobs would be affected due to adaptation to technological changes and the trend of the green economy,” he said, adding that this would comprise 1.8 million employees (10.48% of Malaysia’s workforce) across 10 sectors.
He said this in a press conference after the launch of the first phase of the “Impact study of AI, digital and green economy on the Malaysian workforce” on Monday (Nov 18).
The sectors involved are aerospace, chemicals, electrical and electronics (E&E), energy and power, food processing and services, global business services, information and communication technology (ICT), medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade.
TalentCorp staffs (from left) G. Sauntharya, Brian Choong Wai Seng, Fiffi Lostari and Syaza Nazura having a closer look at the report book after the launch.
Prepared for change
According to the impact study, of the 949 skilled and semi-skilled job roles validated across the 10 sectors, a skills taxonomy for both basic and specific (technical) skills was established, and an impact assessment was conducted on each role in collaboration with industry players.
This information serves as a strategic pivot point for users, enabling targeted skill development and workforce planning.
While the job roles are impacted, workers would be able to pivot to other roles within or across sectors with the necessary upskilling and/or reskilling identified in MyMAHIR (www.mymahir.my) – a comprehensive digital platform to equip Malaysian talents with future-ready skills.
Sim said that the MyMAHIR portal would complement the full physical report of the impact study and both would serve as “living documents”.
“TalentCorp and relevant agencies would actively update any changes in workforce trends, which would then become a central part not only for policy-making but also for employers, workers and students,” said Sim.
He emphasised that the impact study and the portal are only a starting point to more initiatives by the ministry to provide skill training for the Malaysian workforce.
This would also include the streamlining with existing portals under the Human Resources Ministry such as the MyFuture Job.
Sim also said that the ministry would be looking into the second phase of the study in which the sectors involved will be expanded to 12 other additional sectors next year.
The report had outlined 10 recommendations to support the workforce across sectors, involving the government, industry, academia and training providers (GIAT 10).
For the government’s part, the GIAT 10 framework recommended providing financial incentives for research and development in new technologies, including low-interest loans and subsidies for necessary infrastructure.
Industries are advised to focus on creating robust in-house training and development programmes, utilising AI-driven platforms and establishing specialised academies focused on sustainability.
These efforts are complemented by strategies aimed at talent retention, offering clear career pathways within the organisation or into adjacent sectors, and facilitating talent mobility to prepare employees for future roles.
On the academic front, the recommendations included a significant overhaul of educational curricula starting from pre-school, integrating essential skills in AI, digital literacy, and sustainability.
Extending internship programmes up to a year from the typical three to four months to provide students with more substantial real-world experience and project-based learning opportunities was also recommended.
Training providers were suggested to develop micro-credentials training programmes that offer both foundational and advanced courses, tailored to specific sectors.
Future-proofing the workforce
Also present at the event were Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, who participated in a dialogue session earlier during the launching event held at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here on Monday.
During the panel discussion, Gobind said among the challenges faced by the Digital Ministry was preparing Malaysia for coming challenges, citing the example of jobs in light of future technology advancements.
“We have to look at expertise on how this solution works and how we must ready the workforce to adopt these solutions so we can use it to improve the way we work and live.
“It’s about moving ahead into a time where technology may provide us with even more job opportunities, than currently, as it scales very quickly.”
Meanwhile, Mustapha said that while there are challenges faced by the Higher Education Ministry in ensuring students and graduates are future-proof, the impact study by TalentCorp would be vital in providing important input for his ministry.
“The Higher Education Ministry would appreciate the feedback from the industry which would be useful when reviewing the curriculum.
“It must match with the labour market demand. We also have to shift from (producing) job seekers who are industry-ready to job creators who are future-ready,” he said during the dialogue.
In preparations for the coming employment landscape, TalentCorp also called for close collaboration with industry leaders, academia and training providers and workforce.
As outlined in the impact study, TalentCorp called for the industry to work closely with the think tank to identify critical skills and co-create tailored training programmes.
Meanwhile, educational institutions are urged to align curricula with industry needs, particularly focusing on AI, digital and green skills to make graduates ready for work.
As for the workforce, the agency called for the public to get themselves up-skilled and reskilled, and this could be enhanced through the MyMAHIR platform, which TalentCorp will provide resources and guidance to help employees navigate their career transitions.
