As Malaysia pushes its digital economy agenda, creating a stronger talent pipeline should be a top priority to support the nation’s digital transformation goals, improve IT infrastructure and create a secure digital ecosystem. Moreover, to fully benefit from digital innovations such as cloud, automation, AI, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and 5G technology, programs to address the prevailing digital talent gap should be immediately rolled out.
As organisations accelerate their transformation plans, and with the current remote and hybrid work environment, there is an imperative to upgrade digital productivity and remote working skills. Agile companies take it a step further by integrating more advanced technical capabilities such as data analytics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and software development into their training programs.
The Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL), which was launched earlier this year, outlines the government’s plan to enhance digitalisation, improve digital infrastructure and build a more trusted and secure digital environment. This plan is targeting to develop 20,000 cybersecurity knowledge workers and 30,000 data professionals by 2025.
The expansion of opportunities for Malaysians to upskill and get retrained will certainly help the local economy to recover from the pandemic, as well as build a foundation for sustainable long-term growth and an inclusive future workforce.
Recently, Rackspace Technology published a global survey that indicates that more than half (52%) of respondents face challenges recruiting and retaining cybersecurity talent. The survey also further reveals that the areas of cloud security (33%) and network security (30%) display the greatest skills gaps and has been also identified by respondents as their most critical roles. Across the business, IT leaders cite lack of expertise (86%), lack of resources (81%), lack of time (70%), and lack of training information (63%) as their most pressing cybersecurity and compliance challenges.
The numbers clearly indicate how the growing digital skills gap hampers the capability of teams to respond to the needs of the business.
Besides that, due to the pandemic, many Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) had to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies and move most of their processes online. They had to act fast to respond to changing consumer behaviour, connect with their target audience and develop new revenue streams. With the need to transform into a digital-centric business swiftly, we observed that many companies found it challenging to focus on job redesign and training their employees on new ways of working.
However, for firms to thrive in the digital economy, upskilling and reskilling employees should be a top priority. With innovative technologies being deployed at a rapid pace, agile and resilient companies ensure that they have the right skills and talent to support the rollout of new applications and technologies.
In a post-COVID world, SMEs need to understand that workers’ skills and roles are vital in building business resilience. The responsibility lies in the hands of the employer to create a conducive environment, to provide incentives and free training resources for their employees to participate in upskilling and reskilling plans.
Malaysia 5.0 envisions a sustainable and resilient, inclusive, and prosperous society built upon a strong digital economy for the people of Malaysia. With the transition to Malaysia 5.0, MDEC, has been introducing emerging technologies that are now considered essential tools in the new economy. Through these digital innovations and 4IR tools such as fintech, blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), the government seeks to connect companies in Malaysia to the rest of the world, and directly address financial inclusion, access, performance, and growth.
With the country’s objectives laid out through the Malaysia 5.0 Plan, organisations are encouraged to develop comprehensive skills development programs that optimise internal talents while establishing strong co-learning environments with the education sector. Likewise, with the increasing demand for IT professionals, it is also vital for the education sector to ensure that they are prepared to train the workforce of the future.
Thus, it is crucial to develop technology skills such as coding, data analytics and software or application development, as well as soft skills such as problem solving, creativity and communication skills are being developed.
The rate and pace by which technology evolves may be daunting for some, and the complexities of using and learning a new technology at times act as a major roadblock especially for mid-career professionals. However, with programs to help employees acquire new skills, as well as providing new tracks to help mid-career professionals take on new paths, organisations can bridge the growing digital skills gap and support the transition towards a digital economy.
