The pandemic has reset major work trends with the emergence of a new group of digital workforces leveraging technological innovation, FastJobs Malaysia General Manager Joelle Pang said.
She told Business Today that technology has also made it possible for employees to work from home, it has enabled businesses to not only cut costs but also make their employees happier.
“Working from home allows tech professionals to spend more time with their families. As a result, an increasing number of tech professionals are requesting remote working benefits.
“Employees place a greater emphasis on developing and diversifying their skills which puts them in a better position to take advantage of new career opportunities,” she says.
The World Economic Forum predicts that AI and automation will lead to the creation of 97 million new jobs by 2025.
Based on the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Digital Talent Survey 2021, Malaysian companies are accelerating the adoption of digital technologies and are accordingly focused on reskilling and up-skilling their employees in digital technologies and applications.
“48% of companies in the country adopted digital tech platforms for day-to-day operations this year compared to 19% in 2020. With this shift, 85% of companies surveyed also recognised the need to re-skill their employees,” she says.
Hybrid
According to Pang, among the key trend in 2022 among organisations and workers will be a shift in focus to a hybrid working method.
Based on research by KPMG, Joelle says, “Hybrid working is now one of the most popular choices for workplace arrangement that at the height of the pandemic in 2020 as 69% of large companies expected an overall decrease in the amount of office space they would be using.”
“The hybrid working model appears to have become a mainstay in Malaysia for the foreseeable future, more than 90% of the respondents believe that matters such as achieving career growth, are best met in the office environment.
“Despite that, many employers and public health experts believe for now a hybrid model is the safest working arrangement,” she says.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by GKK Consultants, found that 80% of the polled preferred a work from home (WFH) choice of three out of five working days per week.
Hiring Online
Joelle says as more hiring is done online, businesses will begin to adapt and embrace technology in their recruitment processes through technology-enabled platforms like FastJobs.
“In particular, we have seen companies in hypermarkets, convenience stores, food and beverage, and other fast-moving consumer goods sectors conducting higher volumes of hiring through FastJobs.
FastJobs also introduces e-FastRecruit in the platforms where the employers and job seekers can experience 100% online mass hiring connection in both ways and interview virtually.
“These virtual mass hiring campaigns(e-FastRecruit) have proven to be effective, with close to 500 candidates hired in the last 6 months, across the various essential services employers we have supported.
In addition, the government has amended the Employment Act 1955 to account for the rise of the gig economy, particularly for those involved in p-hailing (the delivery parcels and food using motorcycles which are not covered under labour laws.)
“The government has also recently announced that they will amend the Employment Act 1955 to more clearly define employers and employees to account for the rise of the gig economy, especially for those involved in p-hailing.
Joelle is confident that FastJobs is the platform that can assist its client in terms of supplementing the full-time workforce, considering the rise of the economy and citing online mass hiring practice as practical.
“With the rise of the gig economy, our clients may turn to FastJobs to supplement their full-time workforce with a contingent workforce. Furthermore, we are seeing more mass hiring exercises conducted online because it is quick, effective, and efficient.
“This is a good first step towards ensuring a safe and sustainable gig economy, and we are hoping that the government will soon expand this to include more groups under the “gig workers” umbrella,” she concludes.
Iffah Salleh Contributed To This Article
