Stay employable by learning digital skills, employees in Malaysia told
- Champa Ha
As Malaysia transitions to a digital-based economy, employees should take on digital technology skills to become more viable for employment and future job prospects, urged Fahmi Fadzil, Communications and Digital Minister.
Commenting on a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report which highlighted that over 80% of new jobs would require some form of digital technology skills over the coming years, he said, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology or generative AI has the potential to unlock Malaysia’s productive capacity economy which is worth up to RM 536.1 billion (USD $113.4 billion) based on a report by the Malaysia Centre for Fourth Industrial Revolution.
With the number of jobs that would revolve around digital technology expected to triple over the same time, understanding and learning how to harness AI technology would be key to increase the number of high-income jobs for Malaysia, said Fahmi.
He added that digital technology-based businesses are contributing towards the current global economy, with at least 70% of global economic growth over the next decade to be driven by such businesses.
Fahmi was speaking at the #MyDigitalMaker Fair 2023, a joint public-private-academia initiative under the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) aimed to nurture the interest in technology in students from a young age.
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Events like the #MyDigitalMaker Fair 2023, he highlighted, serve as key drivers of the Malaysian government’s endeavours to encourage youth to approach digitalisation in the job market and in the economy with confidence, giving students opportunities to experiment with various programmes and technology such as coding, AI, and game development. This then, offers the potential to create more digital entrepreneurs.
“This holistic and sustainable approach has the potential to develop the Malaysian society from technology users to creators and then, a potential leader in the global digital market,” Fahmi concluded, reported The Star.
