With the digital economy now contributing over a fifth of Malaysia’ GDP, the government has positioned digitalisation and emerging technologies as central to growth strategies such as Malaysia Digital and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030. At the same time, the country stands at a pivotal moment in shaping the future of work, where digitalisation and emerging technologies like AI can drive inclusive growth if governed through adaptive, collaborative, and forward-looking policies that balance innovation while ensuring the well-being of workers.
Amidst this context, the Tech for Good Institute, in partnership with the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) convened a roundtable on New Models of Work in Malaysia. The session aimed to foster a vital dialogue amongst senior government officials, policy researchers, academics, development partners, and private sector representatives to explore how AI and digital platforms are reshaping the Malaysia workforce.
The session was part of the New Models of Work series, which comprises four virtual discussions and six in-person events across Southeast Asia, designed to ground an understanding of regional work trends within specific local contexts.
Participants
- Alex Liew, Chairman, PIKOM
- Muhammad Farhan Hizami Said, Senior Manager, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
- Aiman Zakwan, Manager, Malaysia Productivity Corporation
- Ellina Roslan, Sr. Director, MyDigital
- Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, VP Digital Adoption, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
- Graciely O’Hara, Executive AI Policy, NAIO
- Narita Naziree, Director, Malayan Banking Berhad
- Puan Lasa, Head of Sector Development, Talent Corp
- Tengku Ahdiyana, Manager, Tiktok Malaysia
- Devakaran Sekeran, CEO, EMCO
- Camelia Loh, CEO, Kabel
- Pei-Lee Teh, Professor, Monash University Malaysia
- Vinothini Vasodavan, Senior Lecturer, Taylor’s University
- Michael Mustafa, Head Institute of Work, Nottingham University Malaysia
- Suraya Sulaiman, Director, Future Agenda
- Salbiah Idris, Researcher, Kazanah Research Institute
- Wan Khatina Nawawi, VP Digital Adoption, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation
- Fairoz Ahmad, Fellow, Tech for Good Institute
- Citra Nasruddin, Programme Director, Tech for Good Institute
- Bas Claudio, Associate, Tech for Good Institute
1. Strengthen policy coordination and implementation
Participants highlighted that the country’s strong policy ambition needs to be tightly paired with ‘getting implementation right’. This involves tighter coordination across agencies to minimise duplication of resources and engaging with the private sector early, during the policy design phase. Late engagement with the private sector in the policy cycle, some participants noted, often leaves critical operational realities unaddressed.
The Path Forward: Participants converged on several enabling conditions for better coordination. First, early and continuous consultation across government, industry, workers’ groups and associations. Second, sandbox-style partnerships where regulators, industry players, and worker representatives test rules together before codification, allowing adjustments without the political cost of rolling back entrenched policies. Third, better data infrastructure such as the concept of a ‘digital labour observatory’ was mooted. This observatory can give all stakeholders access to labour market, skills, and training outcomes, enabling evidence-based adjustments across programmes. The goal is not centralised control but transparent coordination: enabling a whole-of-government approach that sees the full landscape, identify genuine gaps versus overlaps, and sequence interventions more strategically.
2. Align Education Systems with the Pace of Technological Change
A recurring theme across educators and industry was the growing gap between curriculum cycles and technology evolution, for example in AI. Current accreditation frameworks limit how quickly institutions can refresh content, while several participants noted that technical skills can become dated within months rather than years. This creates a structural challenge: by the time graduates enter the workforce, portions of their training may no longer reflect current practice.
The Path Forward: Several models emerged from the discussion. First, greater curriculum flexibility, allowing institutions to update substantial portions of programs annually rather than through multi-year review cycles could improve responsiveness without compromising academic rigour. Second, formalising industry-academic exchanges that enable lecturers to maintain active industry roles and practitioners to teach could keep content grounded in current practice. Third, multiple speakers highlighted the effectiveness of problem-based learning tied to live industry briefs: hackathon participants working on real CEO-defined challenges achieved 100% placement at salaries significantly above market entry rates. Underlying these suggestions was the need to move beyond traditional knowledge transfer to developing durable capabilities: critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and problem framing, skills that complement rather than compete with AI.
3. Upskilling Must Be Continuous and Equitable
With an estimated 628,000 roles at risk of phase-out over the next 3–5 years, the urgency is not just future graduates but also people already in the workforce. Training exists (often free or subsidised), but employer mindset and internal commitment lag.
The Path Forward
Several ideas emerged from the discussion. First, make upskilling a continuous, bite-sized flow embedded in daily work, not one-off events. Second, the government’s current policy of tying FDI incentives to talent development outcomes, measurable milestones like locals trained and placed, not just capex committed was noted positively and must continue and be strengthened. Third, digital platform workers need more than protection—they need growth supports: modular training, portable micro-credentials, and clear progression ladders from entry-level to higher-value tasks. Underlying these ideas is inclusion. Participants hope that equity gaps in upskilling can be addressed more explicitly, by targeting rural communities, lower-skilled workers, and micro-enterprises.
