‘70pc of respondents feel technology will change their jobs within 5 years’
Malaysians are optimistic about automation but fear their jobs may be on the line, according to PwC Malaysia’s “Digital resilience in a new world” report.
The survey showed 70 per cent of the 986 respondents believed that technology would change their current jobs in three to five years while 77 per cent were excited or optimistic about the role technology could play at the workplace.
Most who felt positive were hopeful that technology would allow them to do more interesting work (35 per cent) and enable them to get more done (27 per cent), it said yesterday.
However, there are lingering concerns around job security, with 34 per cent fearing that automation is putting their jobs at risk.
PwC Malaysia said respondents with university education and those with professional certificates believed that automation presented more opportunities than risks, compared to Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia leavers and those with technical qualifications.
PwC Malaysia markets leader Nurul A’in Abdul Latif said as Malaysia recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations would find that protecting jobs might be tough but necessary to keep the economy moving in the “new normal”.
“Governments and businesses have been grappling with the issue of upskilling for some time now as the pace of technology continues to confound or, in some cases, driving a further divide among those with opportunities and those with few opportunities to upskill,” she said.
The report also showed 49 per cent of respondents believed that the onus for upskilling rested on the individuals themselves.
An overwhelming 93 per cent of respondents also said they would accept the opportunity to use technology or improve their digital understanding if given the chance.
About 53 per cent of respondents said they were given some opportunities by their current employer to improve their digital skills outside their normal duties.
In addition, 46 per cent of respondents said they were provided with all the tools needed to be effective when working remotely during the Movement Control Order period.