Stay employed by being relevant, employees in Malaysia told

Employees must continuously develop their skill and knowledge to stay relevant to industry demands, be open to change and take on new challenges, and be proactive in finding ways to contribute to their organisation’s success and drive digitalisation.

This, said Chin Chee Siong, Secretary-General of the SME Association of Malaysia, will allow them to remain relevant to their employees, particularly during uncertain times.

Chin’s comments came as the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) recently announced that up to 60,000 people could become unemployed in 2023, with most job losses expected to be in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

When limited by financial resources, SMEs usually make decisions based on cost-effectiveness. However, they may want to strike a balance between cost, performance, and loyalty of their employees when deciding to downsize or otherwise, said Chin.

READ: Adhere to 45-hour workweek, employers in Malaysia told

William Ng, Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Sementa), also emphasised the importance of adopting a lifelong learning mindset, while the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) highlighted that an employee who can produce or earn for the organisation more than his or her salary is likely to keep their job.

“Productivity is what keeps the business generating revenue to pay their wages,” said Shaun Cheah, Executive Director of MICCI, reported FMT.