Tech advances, including AI, gig economy, need workforce planning and regulation - Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: Technology's rapid evolution, including artificial intelligence (AI), the gig economy, and e-commerce, necessitates regulated workforce planning to mitigate potential social issues and adverse effects on the local job market, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil declared. Without regulation, unchecked technology can adversely impact workers' welfare and disrupt the existing business environment.

The government aims to foster technological progress, but only within certain boundaries. If given too much freedom without regulation, social problems and economic disruptions could ensue, leading to job losses and wage disparities. Fahmi, speaking as a panelist for the Dialogue Session Technology Driving Change: Is Malaysian Talent Ready?, emphasized the need for balance - allowing businesses to innovate, but not at the expense of public order or social welfare.

The panel also included Higher Education Minister Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Deputy Minister of Human Resources Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan. Fahmi reassured university students, graduates, and TVET institution attendees that new technologies will create new employment opportunities, particularly in sectors overseen by the Communications Ministry.

The government will work to match the growing number of jobs with the influx of skilled workers, especially the youth. In a joint media statement with the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Human Resources, it was announced that the launch of the Communications and Multimedia Future Skills Framework (C&M FSF) aims to guide talent development in the sector for the next five to ten years.

The Future Skills Talent Council, under the leadership of the Ministry of Human Resources, will collaborate with the Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure the framework's success.