Labour Law Blog

Move to boost employment

2021-11-08T23:44:00.001+08:00

LETTERS: "TALENT wins games. But teamwork and intelligence win championships."

The saying by former American basketball player Michael Jordan centres on the importance of a synergy usually associated with a group working towards achieving a shared goal.

It is an idea common to many but the greater the goal, the bigger the responsibilities and challenges.

Working to nurture talent to produce a skilled workforce that works towards developing the country is no easy feat.

Nevertheless, the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between TalentCorp and Mara Corp is admirable.

The two government-linked companies are now working to bolster human capital through improving the marketability of Mara education institution graduates and school-to-work transition programmes.

The collaboration will also include an intervention programme to support the Mara Corp talent ecosystem through meeting the demands of industries.

This effort is timely, as the country is reeling from the adverse impact of Covid-19.

Data by the Statistics Department showed the country had recorded a 22.5 per cent rise in the number of unemployed graduates last year, totalling more than 200,000 people.

Should the trend persist, it will be a dire situation for Malaysia, which has only begun to bounce back from the economic downturn.

Revitalising the economy will need to be more than just reopening shops, restaurants, offices or malls. It is more than just receiving handouts or cash aid.

It will need an increase in employment to boost the socio-economic sector.

If done correctly, nurturing talented and skilled human capital will create a dependable supply of workforce for ever-hungry industries in a developing country, which can lead to a more productive front.

The MoU can remedy industrial setbacks incurred by the loss of income and employees.

As mentioned earlier, it will require seamless teamwork between TalentCorp and Mara Corp. Their existing programmes and strategies can prove to be fruitful in the long run.

For instance, TalentCorp's psychometric online profiling instrument Nurturing EXpert Talent (NEXT),

is tailored to build a nationwide talent data pool and design strategic intervention plans, while Mara Corp is a well-known commercial strategic investment company involved ineducation, real estate and finance.

The MoU seeks to optimise their expertise to boost human capital mobility to embrace a world of new norms, apart from forming an aegis against any unexpected drawback in the future.

With Mara Corp's vast industrial network, it is also foreseeable for the endeavour to venture into multinational enterprises.

The MoU is, in a sense, terraforming an unchartered global economy post-Covid-19 pandemic through the creation of an adaptable young workforce capable of meeting and overcoming challenges.

It is hoped the synergy between TalentCorp and Mara Corp will boost the country's recovery efforts and employment for years to come.

This is among the many ways how we move forward as a team.

AHMED JOHAN

Shah Alam, Selangor

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/11/743307/move-boost-employment

Economists expect employers to be on hiring spree

2021-11-08T23:43:00.004+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: More Malaysian businesses are projected to hire aggressively, with a primary focus on talent development, attracting and retaining individuals with the necessary capabilities to make the most of scarce skills.

Economists said this could bring down the unemployment ratio in the local economy as employers would choose flow-to-work operating models, which create pools of resources that they can deploy flexibly and on-demand.

Juwai IQI chief economist Shan Saeed said these pools would be formed based on similarity of skills rather than similarity of business functions, making it easier for organisations to access the right skills when they need them.

"The government is focused on growth-inclusive-sustainability to attain macroeconomic stability to move ahead faster to reach advanced economy status," he told the New Straits Times (NST) recently.

According to the latest report from Mckinsey, the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted labour markets globally during 2020.

However, the job market remained buoyant as companies would want to hire more workers post-pandemic.

Although short-term consequences were sudden and often severe as millions of people were furloughed, others rapidly adjusted to working from home as offices closed.

Meanwhile, Shan said the others look at the pandemic's long-term influence on consumption and the potential for a broad recovery led by enhanced productivity and innovation.

Malaysian Rating Corp Bhd (MARC) chief economist and head of research Firdaos Rosli concurred that job opportunities are likely to rise, sustaining the economic growth outlook.

"The creation of new jobs to bring down unemployment via the 'JaminKerja' initiative is merely a band-aid measure aimed to increase social stability as job opportunities.

"This initiative is not driven by increased economic activities but rather through higher government intervention," he told the NST.

Firdaos said job creation might help push for economic growth in the immediate term, but it will be challenging to return to pre-pandemic era growth post-2022.

"The reopening of international borders remains uneven; thus, it may prolong the recovery of affected industries though we hope it is not the case."

He said the number of new jobs created must be in surplus compared to the number of jobs lost.

"We must also not discount the reduction in real wages caused by wage cuts and rising inflation.

"Therefore, the government should look at the supply-side to encourage greater job creation by the private sector," he said.

MIDF Research analyst Abdul Mui'zz Morhalim said various initiatives for the businesses and even large allocation for training and upskilling programmes would also support job growth and the overall labour market recovery next year.

"Despite the positive outlook, the ongoing global health crisis remains one of the downside risks to the growth outlook next year," he told the NST.

Other concerns include the prolonged global supply chain bottlenecks, sluggish recovery in the job market, and volatility in the financial market, given the expected policy tightening, especially in the developed markets.

He cautioned that any slowdown in the international trade activity would likely affect Malaysia's growth as there is concern over a slowdown in China, one of Malaysia's main trading partners.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021/11/743372/economists-expect-employers-be-hiring-spree

Gig economy workers not included under definition of workers, says deputy minister

2021-11-08T23:40:00.006+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 — Gig economy workers in the country are not included under the definition of a worker under the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265); Labour Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 67) and the Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Chapter 76), the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said that thus far, there was no record or filing of labour cases regarding this group of gig workers that could be used as a benchmark (or a test case) that would allow gig economy workers to enjoy similar benefits as workers as clearly defined under the country’s labour law.

“Under the gig employment system and contract for service as agreed, gig economy workers are not subject to the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011 (Act 732) and the Minimum Wages Order (PGM) 2020,” he said, during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

However, he said that the government, under the Self-employment Social Security Act 2017 (Act 789), provided social security protection to self-employed individuals, including gig economy workers such as those doing food delivery and e-hailing services, if they made contribution under the act.

He said this when replying to questions from Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (PH-Pulai) and Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) who wanted clarification whether the government has plans to introduce a minimum wage under the gig economy business industry, similar to what has been practised in the United Kingdom (UK).

Citing the Uber versus Aslam case in the UK, Awang said that gig economy workers in the UK received minimum wage protection, after workers complained about the constantly changing delivery wage rates.

He also explained that Act 732 and PGM 2020 are applicable to every worker in the private sector except for domestic services as defined under the Employment Act 1955 (Act 265); Labour Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 67) and the Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Chapter 76).

He said that the definition of a “worker” under Act 265, Labour Ordinance (Sabah Chapter 67) and Labour Ordinance (Sarawak Chapter 76) are individuals who are bound under a service contract with their employers.

Gig economy workers are individuals who are self-employed and free, and are focused only on the job scope and the duration that has been decided with the payment already agreed upon.

The gig characteristic and work system enable both the organisation and workers to operate under a contract that is more flexible and more open, without being tied to full-time workers and an office environment.

In his reply to a question from Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar) regarding policies and new programmes to create a new source of income while retaining the existing staff in Sabah, Awang said that the government will introduce several new initiatives so that new job opportunities can be created and offered to all levels of job-seekers.

“In an economic environment that is still in the recovery phase, the government, via the Social Security Organisation (Socso), has introduced Hiring Incentives and Training Programmes, as well as Mobility Assistance under Penjana (National Economic Recovery Plan) to stimulate recruitment by employers,” he said. — Bernama

Gig economy workers are individuals who are self-employed and free, and are focused only on the job scope and the duration that has been decided with the payment already agreed upon. ― Picture by Hari Anggara

Source:

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/11/08/gig-economy-workers-not-included-under-definition-of-workers-says-deputy-mi/2019292

Remote working: Track me if you can

2021-10-31T16:31:00.001+08:00

WITH technology advancement and innovation as well as generational shift, accelerated by the pandemic, many organisations are prepared to embrace remote working as a permanent employment feature.

Employees are able to work from different locations with relative ease, as governments and most employers encourage remote work. Employees are also adjusting their expectations on work-life balance, together with family support requirements.

What comes next? The bureaucracy of remote work must be managed.

The government, in March 2021, announced that it is proposing amendments to the Employment Act to support the working from home (WFH) culture. However, in a world that has been borderless for so long – WFH may also mean cross-border remote working.

This and its ensuing legalities will not just be confined to employment laws, but also encompasses immigration, tax, and social security laws.

Are these laws adequate to facilitate cross-border remote work with minimal disruption? We discuss some areas to note in the following example.

Meet the candidates

> JB is a Malaysian citizen residing in the country. She is employed by SG Pte Ltd as a graphic designer and reports to a marketing manager in Singapore. SG Pte Ltd is registered and based in Singapore, with no business presence in Malaysia.

> SK, a South Korean citizen is married to PNG, a Malaysian citizen. She is employed by KR Ltd, a company based in South Korea with no business presence in Malaysia. She provides human resource support to her employer in South Korea, while holding a spouse visa in Malaysia.

> AM, an American, prefers to spend the winter months in tropical countries. As such, he is opting to work remotely from Malaysia between September and January. However, since his employer (a company registered and based in the United States) does not have a business presence in Malaysia, AM enters Malaysia on a social visit pass.

Catch me if you can

Let’s set out the broad rules/principles with respect to the Malaysian personal income tax, immigration and social security laws:

> Employment that is exercised in Malaysia shall be taxed in Malaysia.

> A foreign company that does not have a business presence in Malaysia is practically not viable to fulfil employer’s tax and social security obligations in Malaysia in respect of its Malaysian employees.

For example, such companies are practically not able to register as an employer for tax and social security purpose. Employees will thus have to make voluntary contribution or tax payment to the relevant authorities, such as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and income tax.

> A non-Malaysian citizen can only work in Malaysia if they possess a valid work pass, of which is required that they are employed or sponsored by a Malaysian entity.

Now, with these broad principles in mind – how do you think these requirements will affect JB, SK and AM?

> Technically, all three are liable to personal income taxes in Malaysia. However, the local tax authorities are not aware that they are working in Malaysia.

> It is practically not viable for SG Pte Ltd and KR Limited to fulfil the Malaysian employer’s tax and social security obligations on the basis that it is a foreign entity with no business presence in Malaysia.

> JB will not be covered by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) or Employees Provident Fund (EPF) despite being a Malaysian citizen, simply because her employer cannot be registered with the EPF or Socso and she does not have a Malaysian employment contract.

> The remote working arrangement of SK and AM will not be regulated with a valid work pass as they are not able to obtain one without a local sponsor.

These remote working individuals are slipping through the cracks, as there is no avenue or guidance provided to facilitate tracking, and ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations. This in turn, would result in a potential loss of tax revenue for Malaysia.

How do we track them?

Before we can regulate and tax, we first need to track.

When it comes to employees, the tax and social security authorities rely on employers for notification and payment remittance purposes.

As such, the same obligations should be extended to foreign companies if they have employees working remotely in Malaysia for them. The key is to have these foreign companies create a presence in Malaysia, thus ensuring that they are bound by the Malaysian employer tax and social security obligations.

An option that authorities can consider is a representation office equivalent – Remote Work Office (RWO). Generally, a representative office is an office of a foreign company approved to collect relevant information on investment opportunities in the country especially in the manufacturing and services sectors, enhance bilateral trade relations, promote the export of Malaysian goods and services, and carry out research and development.

An RWO would help in establishing an employer’s presence in Malaysia. This can help regulate activities performed by remote workers. If any such activities fall out of the permissible parameter that could be deemed as “doing business” in Malaysia, then they should register their business presence, in compliance with local regulatory requirements.

To facilitate its purpose as a “shadow employer”, the RWO, in addition to being under the purview of the main approving authority (i.e. the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Bank Negara or the International Trade and Industry Ministry), should also be allowed to register with the Human Resources Ministry, Inland Revenue Board and Immigration.

This creates a presence while minimising the additional costs, red tapes and tax implications that come with the setup of a full-blown branch or subsidiary in Malaysia, eg be incorporated under the Malaysian companies law.

Once they are established in Malaysia, by virtue of Malaysia’s tax and social security laws, the companies shall automatically act as a conduit between their remote workers and the relevant local authorities. This will ensure that authorities are informed of the remote workers presence in Malaysia. This will also mean that individuals like JB will receive adequate local employment law and social security protection as a Malaysian citizen, exercising employment in Malaysia.

At the same time, the Immigration should consider the creation of a remote work visa, which can then be made available to an RWO.

Generally, a remote work visa allows an individual to live in a country while they continue to work for their employer, who is based in a different country.

As of July 2021, there are 24 countries issuing variations of remote work, digital nomad, independent contractor visa, with varying qualifications, e.g, the long term visa for remote work of Iceland and digital nomad visa of Estonia.

This should provide a clearer insight to the relevant authorities on the number of individuals who are exercising employment in Malaysia for foreign companies.

With greater connectivity between tax and immigration authorities, the issuance of remote work visas to individuals like SK and JB would also alert tax authorities that such individuals are exercising employment in Malaysia, and therefore liable to Malaysian personal income taxes.

Tax me if you can

From an individual income tax perspective, Malaysia’s domestic income tax laws can be applied in determining how much tax these remote workers should pay, while taking into consideration any tax treaties for double tax mitigation.

We believe that in most cases, while double taxation can be mitigated, it is important for the tax authorities to plug any leakage of tax revenues.

Another relevant issue would be the risk of a foreign employer creating a taxable presence or permanent establishment in Malaysia.

This would depend on the duration of employment, type of duties or work an employee is allowed to perform with a remote work visa.

A starting point

The above is not a fix-all solution – for example, the issues require a deeper probe, and there should be further research on the adequacy of our employment law on cross-border remote work, and how the employment contract should be governed, among others.

However, it is no secret that employers are grappling with foreign tax and social security laws meant for local employment, as they allow their employees to remotely work from various countries.

From a Malaysian perspective, I firmly believe we are already halfway there. The relevant laws are already in place.

However, the authorities should take appropriate action to ensure that there is clarity on how foreign employers can comply.

Once the rules are in place, tax and social security matters will fall into place naturally.

The creation of an RWO and the issuance of a remote work visa will demonstrate the authority’s flexibility in adopting a middle ground approach to accept foreign direct investment while also protecting Malaysian citizens’ interest.

The establishment of clear rules regarding the governance and ownership of tracking remote workers may also be a catalyst for further regulation of cross-border remote work and beyond.

Chee Ying Cheng is the global employer services executive director of Deloitte Malaysia. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.

Source:

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/10/21/remote-working-track-me-if-you-can

Budget 2022 initiatives help ease unemployment, says MEF

2021-10-30T23:45:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Initiatives in the 2022 Budget could help alleviate the rising unemployment rate, said the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

In a statement today, it said unemployment rate rose to 711,000 persons in 2020 from 508,200 in 2019, while youth unemployment rose to 314,000 persons in 2020 from 295,800 in 2019.

MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman also commended the government's allocation of RM4.8 billion to guarantee 600,000 job opportunities under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia (JaminKerja) initiative.

Additionally, under the initiative, employers who hire Malaysians who have not been actively employed, will be provided with an incentive of 20 per cent of the monthly salary for the first six months and 30 per cent for the next six months, subject to jobs with a salary of RM1,500 and above.

"We also welcome the tax deductions of RM2,000-RM7,000 to upskill employees, not to mention the RM1.1 billion allocated for training and upskilling programmes for 220,000 trainees," he said.

He also lauded the government for setting aside RM2 billion to continue the Wage Subsidy Programme that would benefit about 300,000 employees, especially those in the tourism and related sectors that were badly affected during the lockdowns.

"MEF welcomes the decision to extend the reduced Employees Provident Fund (EPF) minimum contribution rate of nine per cent until June 2022, and to allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to postpone income tax instalments for six months until June 30, 2022, as this would greatly help ease cash flow issues.

"The RM100 million matching grants for smart automation for 200 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors would assist them to transform and streamline work processes and move up the value chain," he said.

Syed Hussain said the federation also applauded the government's decision to make it mandatory for all public-listed companies to appoint at least one woman to its board of directors.

"This is a move in the right direction as this is a clear signal to encourage more women to participate in the economic sector," he said.

On the initiatives for the people, he said the one-off cash aid for low-income households, including single parents with dependents, as well as early schooling assistance to benefit three million students would relieve some of the financial pressures on Malaysians.

"The special RM2,500 tax relief for the purchase of smartphones, computers and tablets and provision of digital equipment to about 600,000 undergraduates from B40 families would also help narrow the digital divide," he added.

Meanwhile, the Master Builders Association Malaysia welcomed the announcement on upskilling local talents through the continuation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme during the Budget 2022 tabling on Friday.

"As the Malaysian construction industry is still over-dependent on unskilled foreign labour, we really hope that this initiative will provide the industry with more local talents to overcome the shortage of foreign workers issue," it said. – Bernama

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/741221/budget-2022-initiatives-help-ease-unemployment-says-mef

Malaysian Employers Federation: Budget 2022 initiatives help ease unemployment situation

2021-10-30T23:42:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 ― The Budget 2022 initiatives would help in alleviating the rising unemployment rate, said the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF).

In a statement today, it noted that the unemployment rate rose to 711,000 persons in 2020 from 508,200 in 2019, while youth unemployment rose to 314,000 persons in 2020 from 295,800 in 2019.

MEF president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman commended the government’s allocation of RM4.8 billion to guarantee 600,000 job opportunities under the Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia (JaminKerja) initiative.

Additionally, under the initiative, employers who hire Malaysians who have not been actively employed will be provided with an incentive of 20 per cent of the monthly salary for the first six months and 30 per cent for the next six months, subject to jobs with a salary of RM1,500 and above.

“We also welcome the tax deductions of RM2,000-RM7,000 to upskill employees, not to mention the RM1.1 billion allocated for training and upskilling programmes for 220,000 trainees,” he said.

“MEF welcomes the decision to extend the reduced Employees Provident Fund (EPF) minimum contribution rate of nine per cent until June 2022, and to allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to postpone income tax instalments for six months until June 30, 2022 as this would greatly help ease cash flow issues.

“The RM100 million matching grants for smart automation for 200 companies in the manufacturing and services sectors would assist them to transform and streamline work processes and move up the value chain,” he said.

Syed Hussain said the federation also applauded the government’s decision to make it mandatory for all public-listed companies to appoint at least one woman to its board of directors.

“This is a move in the right direction as this is a clear signal to encourage more women to participate in the economic sector,” he said.

“The special RM2,500 tax relief for the purchase of smartphones, computers and tablets and provision of digital equipment to about 600,000 undergraduates from B40 families would also help narrow the digital divide,” he added.

“As the Malaysian construction industry is still over-dependent on unskilled foreign labour, we really hope that this initiative will provide the industry with more local talents to overcome the shortage of foreign workers issue,” it said. ― Bernama

Source:

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/10/30/malaysian-employers-federation-budget-2022-initiatives-help-ease-unemployme/2017124

Youth should be job creators

2021-10-29T10:24:00.001+08:00

The success of young agropreneurs acts like a magnet, pulling more young people into the world of agriculture which can bail them out of poverty.

Thus, it can also help the country address dire problems, such as unemployment and food insecurity.

Young agropreneurs who have successfully applied modern, innovative and technological methods can serve as role models and motivations for other young people in the country to embark on the same path.

The emergence of new technologies in the agricultural sector can drive innovation in improving product quality and increase production volume to meet the needs of customers and market demand, as well as generate maximum profits for young agropreneurs.

Therefore, the agricultural landscape needs to be transformed from being dominated by elderly farmers with low technology skills to being dominated by young farmers with high technology skills.

Success in the agricultural sector needs to come to the fore to boost young people's interest in exploring the world of agriculture, such as livestock, fisheries, forestry, logging and agro-based industries.

This is not only to inculcate their interest but also to spur them to venture and succeed when taking further steps to break into international markets.

They have to come to terms with the fact that they should become job creators rather than job seekers in order to bear more fruit to society.

Unfortunately, to date, the agricultural sector still lags far behind other sectors, such as services and manufacturing. The majority of players in the agricultural sector are the older generation with low-technology skills.

Despite the favourable impacts of agriculture on the economy and society, the success rate of small and medium enterprises in the sector is still unsatisfactory.

According to the Department of Statistics, the agriculture sector experienced modest growth of only 3.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2019.

Last year, employment in the sector accounted for 10.09 per cent of total employment.

This figure shows that more attention needs to be given to the sector to increase that percentage. In addition, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reported a decline in the number of new enterprises or businesses in the sector.

What is more alarming is that many young agropreneurs fail to survive the first three to five years after their inception.

The main challenge that needs to be addressed in order to achieve a higher number of successful young agropreneurs is their misperceptions.

They describe jobs in the agricultural sector as dirty, difficult, dangerous, unglamorous and low-paid, and they believe that these jobs do not promise any bright future for them.

Therefore, these misperceptions need to be debunked. Agriculture is actually a lucrative source of livelihood for young people, especially unemployed graduates.

Nowadays, more fresh graduates have proven that they can fly high and rake in enormous profits working in the agricultural sector.

Therefore, success in the agricultural sector, especially among young agropreneurs, needs to be enhanced to achieve the optimum contribution to the country's economic and social development.

To date, Malaysia is still too reliant on imported agro-based products.

Therefore, it is time for young people, especially fresh graduates, to get involved in the agricultural sector and become young agropreneurs who are innovative and keeping pace with changing technologies.

Failure in this sector will have repercussions on the food security of the country.

DR ATIKAH NOR JOHARI

Senior lecturer in Entrepreneurship,

Faculty of Applied and

Human Sciences,

Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UMP)

DR MOHD SHAHIDAN SHAARI

Senior lecturer in Economics,

Faculty of Applied and

Human Sciences, UMP

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/09/729435/youth-should-be-job-creators

Pitchbah! competition aims to create job opportunities and teen entrepreneurs

2021-10-25T16:23:00.006+08:00

An innovative entrepreneurship competition - Oozes's Pitchbah! -is expected to produce more young talents in Sabah and improve the employment rate among locals.

The programme, where the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (Scenic) is one of the strategic partners, aims to encourage teenagers to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas and cultivate their creative thinking.

Being a government initiative, Scenic Assistant Strategic Partnership and Brand Builder Norsida Ajhari said the centre plays a vital role in encouraging youngsters to venture into entrepreneurship that can further enhance their technological capabilities and creativity.

"Sabah has the highest unemployment rate in Malaysia. We are confident that the Pitchbah! initiative will be able to produce more globally competent young talents who will eventually be employed.

"Through this pitching competition, participants will get the opportunity to exchange innovative ideas and solutions and get feedback from industry players that can help them move forward," she said in a statement.

The application for the competition is open until Nov 15, after which successful participants will be notified on Nov 21 for further training before the final competition.

Norsida added Scenic would help promote the programme via its social media platform and media coverage as well as nurture the talents produced by Pitchbah! to the next level via various initiatives under Scenic.

Meanwhile, Ooze founder Precilla Fong said the event would help churn out innovative ideas and solutions through a pitching session.

"It will involve mentors who will be guiding the teenage entrepreneurs throughout the online training sessions.

"During the training session, teenagers will gain exposure to know how different industries work, how to network and receive constructive feedback from the industry experts. "

For participating teams to advance into finals, Fong said judges would evaluate pitches based on an equal weighting of perceived feasibility and growth potential, as well as the "wow factor".

Anyone interested in participating in the competition can apply via https://www.oozeclub.com/competition.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/737786/pitchbah-competition-aims-create-job-opportunities-and-teen-entrepreneurs

Hybrid working set to stay among Malaysians, says Robert Walters

2021-10-23T16:23:00.001+08:00

As Malaysia continues towards a Covid-19 endemic path, hybrid working is set to stay as Malaysians brace themselves for rising cases and regular adjustments to work and play.

This sensible decision follows solid productivity increases during the pandemic. But while productivity may have gone up, many employees report feeling anxious and burned out.

Robert Walters Malaysia and Philippines country head Kimberlyn Lu said some 41 per cent of Malaysia's employees said their overall productivity to be higher when they are working from home (WFH).

The number is the highest among all Southeast Asia respondents (the overall average is 38 per cent).

Lu said while professionals in Malaysia enjoy greater flexibility in the comfort of their homes, they are also more distracted, less socially engaged, and have to make do without a proper office set-up.

"Yet almost the same number of Malaysian respondents (38 per cent) said that their overall productivity has not changed when they work from the office (WFO).

"Key reasons cited by Malaysia respondents against accepting a fully remote or location independent role include the sense of belonging and inclusion from an office environment (62 per cent) and face to face interaction with colleagues (57 per cent),

"Meanwhile, 52 per cent of Malaysia respondents opined that a fully remote or location independent role will be detrimental to work-life balance," she told the New Straits Times in an interview.

Lu said the recent survey done by the company showed the professionals' dilemma whether to work from home, from the office or adopt a hybrid model.

She said employers need to provide opportunities for employees such as providing an upskilling and developing soft skills in order for them to be innovative and ensure that productivity is maintained.

"It is also important that they support their employees' mental well-being, which is a significant factor in retaining talent," she said.

According to Lu, a hybrid working environment is not one size fits all and it only suits certain businesses and practices.

Thus, she said it is really important for people to clearly identify what function in their business can be done remotely or need physical attendance.

"My general thought is that many companies have realised that hybrid working can work.

"But this is subject to business making some internal adjustment weather in the infrastructure, tools and digitalisation," she said.

In terms of the future of work, she said most employees would expect a certain level of flexibility from their employers.

"Our survey has shown that up to 44 per cent of Malaysians will outright reject a job if there is no flexibility involved.

"If the company says its absolute 100 per cent WFO, maybe four out of 10 candidates might reject the job offer which is sad for potential employees because you lose out on potential talent.

"Generally Malaysians are not too demanding, I think some flexibility is shown by the company who has a more progressive mindset of an organisation and it is an organisation that has tools, trust its people which goes a really long way for hiring and retention," she added.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021/10/737470/hybrid-working-set-stay-among-malaysians-says-robert-walters

Sosco offers many initiatives to the people, says Hajiji

2021-10-22T10:22:00.001+08:00

More than 3,000 vacancies have been offered by 30 employers during the Social Security Organisation (Socso) online job carnival.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in urging the people of Sabah to seize the opportunity, also told them to look at Socso's other initiatives in MyFutureJobs.

Hajiji who launched the virtual Sabah's Socso E-Career Carnival 2021 today said the programme, a continuity of the National People's Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (Pemulih) aimed to stimulate jobs and employment opportunities.

"Statistics from Sabah Socso showed 7,141 people have returned to work in 2020, while from January to August this year, 4,366 people got jobs.

"The initiatives introduced by the government through Socso have given a positive impact to reduce unemployment among the people including in Sabah," said Hajiji who is also the state Finance Minister.

Socso has also implemented the hiring incentives programme as until September this year, Sabah has more than RM22 million incentives based on interest payments to over 8,000 eligible workers, he said.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Sabah Socso has covered 280,744 workers and 33,893 employers as of April this year, he said.

Through the government's economic stimulus packages, he said Socso has channelled RM1.005 billion to the people of Sabah.

The amount was as help and financial incentives for the continuity of business operations, keeping employees, and hiring new workers.

Sorce:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/09/730724/sosco-offers-many-initiatives-people-says-hajiji

Saravanan: Govt never restricted Malaysians from working abroad

2021-10-19T16:27:00.000+08:00

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan explained that they may be some confusion over the alleged restrictions on Malaysians working overseas after the issue of the plantation sector workers scheme in Australia was raised in the Dewan Negara recently.

The government has never restricted Malaysians wishing to work abroad, but it is subject to the terms, conditions and legislation of the host country, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.

He explained that they may be some confusion over the alleged restrictions on Malaysians working overseas after the issue of the plantation sector workers scheme in Australia was raised in the Dewan Negara recently.

On Oct 11, Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim told the Dewan Negara that Malaysia had decided not to adopt Australia's Farm Labour Visa Scheme as it was geared towards offering permanent residency.

Saravanan said the scenario in Australia and Malaysia was quite similar, with many local workers not interested in venturing into the plantation sector, which mainly involved 3D work (dangerous, dirty, difficult).

In that regard, he said the Australian government introduced plantation visas to address the shortage of plantation sector workers.

"However, Malaysia will not adopt Australia's approach as it is geared towards offering permanent residency. As such, this has nothing to do with restrictions for Malaysians to work abroad, including Australia," he said, adding that an estimated 400,000 Malaysians are working in Singapore.

Saravanan said he had discussed with Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr Justin Lee on Sept 7 regarding the visa scheme in Australia as both countries faced the same problem, namely the lack of manpower in the plantation sector in their respective countries as well as high dependence on foreign labour in the sector.

Australia had introduced the scheme to address the shortage of workers in the agriculture and plantation sector which had received less response from local workers, and it was expected to provide employment opportunities for migrant workers to work for three years in the sector in Australia.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/737938/saravanan-govt-never-restricted-malaysians-working-abroad

#TECH: Positive outlook for economy and digital job market

2021-10-15T10:19:00.001+08:00

The National ICT Association of Malaysia or Pikom has released its research publication this year, and renamed it to "Economic and Digital Job Market Outlook" to better reflect the intentions and contents of the report, which is focused towards economic analysis, digital economy, salary trends, and regional salary outlook.

At the launch, Pikom's chairman, Danny Lee said the publication is more poignant and has multiple insights for readers, "...not only on the local digital job salary trends but are also benchmarked against eleven economies".

HIGHLIGHTS

Among highlights of the analysis which were shared during the one hour briefing is that there are aspects of the market that have grown by leaps and bounds such as the e-commerce industry, online connectivity infrastructure, increased digital adoption, digital payment platforms, and an overall increase in digitalisation of certain services-oriented sectors.

The country's digital journey may be further accelerated and has potential to reshape the landscape of the digital industry especially with the national initiative set forth by the government to transform Malaysia into a digitally-driven, high income nation and a regional leader in digital economy, and 5G deployment initiatives.

"Whilst the digital economic contribution to the national economy may have reached the 20 per cent target, set from many years ago, we are of the opinion that this digital journey may be further accelerated and will potentially 'reshape' the landscape of the digital industry. Also, MyDigital Blueprint and 5G deployment initiatives will be another set of impetus in driving the industry further," said the research chair, Woon Tai Hai, who presented the report.

Woon also highlighted the domestic digital salary outlook in his presentation. Based on the data retrieved from Southeast Asia's largest online employment company, Jobstreet, Woon said that there is a clear downward trend in growth even as early as 2019.

JOBS REMAINED HIGH

Despite this downward trajectory, JobStreet, which is also Pikom's strategic partner for the publication, shared that the number of jobs advertised remained high, with the number of jobs advertised reaching 135,451 in 2020 and 97,909 in 2021 (up to June).

Looking at the demand trend on the platform, JobStreet's managing director, Vic Sithasanan advised job seekers to continuously upskill and re-skill to stay relevant.

"JobStreet foresees that percentages for 'digital first' skills and expertise would increase even more due to rising demand for digital tools and processes. Hence, there is an urgent need for people to upskill themselves with knowledge of digital technologies coupled with digital literacy and transferable skills," he said.

The report also highlighted regional salaries from selected eleven economies and eight specific IT or digital job designations for this exercise, which are common and traditional covering software, hardware, network, project management and consultancy.

Based on data from JobStreet and analysis and estimates by Pikom, there is a clear downward growth trend as early as 2019 to 2020 for the local salary outlook. Salary growth in 2020 was on average 2.2 per cent and the forecast for 2021 is only 0.1 per cent and for 2022 at 2.0 per cent as a direct impact of the pandemic including movement control order periods, economic uncertainties and job losses.

PURCHASING POWER

However, the report also showed that in comparison to other economies, by using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), a macroeconomic analysis metric, Malaysia is on the seventh rank while the US topped the list followed by Singapore.

It is also interesting to note that Thailand has surpassed Malaysia in its average salary for digital jobs.

"On the regional and global front comparing Malaysian technology salaries with our peers, Malaysia continues to slide with Thailand with a multiple of 1.21 times, Singapore of 1.98 times and US of 2.10 times," presented Woon.

Overall, the Economic and Digital Job Market Outlook report offers a general overview of the impact from the pandemic, the salary trends in the digital industry, the increasing demand in cybersecurity as it continues to outpace industry average as well as concerns for talent supply digital talents appeared to be most affected digital job in 2021 in terms of vacancies and salaries.

"The report provides valuable information for our members and industry at large. Such information offers a critical guide to challenges and opportunities for digital industry players, planners and policy makers in government as we transform to the next stage of the new normal," said Lee.

Apart from MDEC and JobStreet, the report also partnered with AngkasaX, Glocomp, Fusionex, Firmus, Dell, TrendMicro, VSTECS, BDO, Powerware Systems, LGMS, Hitachi Sunway and EKTECH.

The complete report is available for viewing at www.pikom.org.my/EconomicDigitalOutlook2021.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2021/10/734099/tech-positive-outlook-economy-and-digital-job-market

15 ways for HR leaders to promote a strong learning culture for higher performance

2021-10-14T16:34:00.010+08:00

In a recent report by Degreed, more than 2,400 workers from 15 countries were surveyed about their behaviours, values, and assumptions in regard to learning and career growth throughout July and August 2021 to gain better insight into learning culture.

Particularly, the report focused on the differences between employees who rated their company learning cultures as positive ("promoters") and those who rated their learning cultures as negative ("detractors").

To start off, the report defined the learning culture as “shared behaviours, values, and assumptions".

The report then covered the importance of a positive learning culture:

People perform more skilfully - promoters are 199% more likely to receive a promotion.
Teams are more agile - promoters are 235% more likely to move to new functions within their company.
Departments adapt more rapidly - promoters are 76% more likely to say their companies responded well to the pandemic.
Business grows faster - Promoters are 166% more likely to say their companies grew revenue faster than their competitors.

Understanding the importance, the report highlighted 15 ways for HR and learning leaders to inculcate a positive learning culture post-COVID:

#1 Employee motivation

Encourage workers to focus their development around the specific skills necessary for their current and future roles. Managers should help their teams identify two to three focus skills that overlap between their current roles and their aspirational roles.

Employees in a positive learning culture are more motivated to learn in order to perform better in their current roles and prepare for future roles. On the other hand, employees in a negative learning culture are motivated to learn purely for the purpos of completing their requirements, if not unmotivated at all.

#2 Setting goals

Encourage employees to document short-term and long-term goals.

It’s important that these goals focus on individual tasks and tactical work, emphasising skill-based development as opposed to role-based development. A positive learning culture offers structure for career pathing - promoters are 52% more likely to plan for their current roles and about 90% more likely to plan for next steps or long-term goals.

#3 Resources

Through the 70|20|10 model, 70% of upskilling comes from experiential learning, or learning in the flow of work. Experiential learning opportunities should be digitised, democratised, and accessible to all your workers to ensure inclusivity. Leverage technology that increases exposure, and use selection frameworks that decrease social biases.

Promoters have higher rates of all three types of learning experiences in the 70|20|10 model: experiential, interactive, and instructional. Promoters are also more likely to get diverse perspectives from inside and outside their companies.

#4 Integrate peer learning into your strategy to increase engagement

Interaction with peers and external professional networks is crucial for diversity of thought and “outside-in” thinking, helping keep your company competitive.

#5 Invest in technology that makes learning meaningful

Don’t just measure content completions.

An alternative would be to use instructional learning systems to demonstrate how workers’ development will help them reach their professional goals. That requires user focused technology, as opposed to admin-focused.

#6 Manager support

Train managers to create development plans with their teams that focus on more than just formal reviews, promotions, and roles.

Managers can play a part in instilling a positive learning culture by helping their people create development plans, which should be skill-based and actionable. Diversity in the approach to learning is highly encouraged. Promoters are 270% more likely to say they have a manager that supports their development.

#7 Independence

Focus on creating a centralised and frictionless technical environment in which people know where to go, so they can continue discovering the content they need.

Promoters on average search the internet to learn weekly, while detractors only conduct web searches every month or so. The survey found that the most frequent activities promotors did when learning were searching the internet, watching videos, and reading online (newspaper, articles, reports).

#8 Structure

Offer classes, workshops, or other formal learning opportunities on a regular basis that use a blended learning approach.

By introducing “flipped classrooms,” which allow people to play a more active role in applying their skills and teaching others, you may help improve knowledge retention. Promoters on average attend a class or workshop nearly every month, while detractors attend structured opportunities less than annually. Other learning opportunities attended by promoters also include completing a certificate or certification program and taking online courses on their own.

#9 Collaboration

Implement tools and processes that encourage people to communicate frequently about the skills they are building. Try hosting quarterly team meetings dedicated to learning a new skill or building a reward system that recognises individuals who are frequently and efficiently offering feedback to their peers.

It’s important to celebrate the accomplishments of whole teams rather than just individuals. On average, promoters receive feedback from their teams or colleagues almost weekly, while detractors receive feedback quarterly or less. Among other methods of collaborative learning, promoters also recommend courses, videos, podcasts, articles, or events to others.

#10 Make it experiential

Manager support and involvement is important for experiential learning.

Team leaders should understand the importance of creating a culture that shares talent between teams. Employees should be encouraged to take on projects outside their respective business units. Widespread on-the-job learning helps promote a positive learning culture.

Promoters on average work on experiential learning tasks or projects outside their roles or teams on a near-monthly basis. Conversely, detractors participate in similar tasks or projects far less often. Some ways include volunteering on projects outside their organization and using job aids or reference materials.

#11 Skills assessments

Introduce 360-degree skill assessments that invite colleagues and peers to participate in giving feedback.

Use tools that offer skill reviews, skill ratings, and informal assessments, so individuals can get the feedback they need, whenever they need it. Inspire and cultivate a culture of psychological safety that values continual, immediate, and informal guidance. Promoters indicated that they received feedback from peers, managers, and external providers.

#12 Skill data

Give employees a reason to update skill profiles more regularly. Ensure employees understand how their skill data can benefit them from a social and developmental standpoint. Utilise leaderboards or influencer programs to give people incentives to update their profiles.

Promoters are almost 200% more likely to update their company job application system to look for internal learning and growth opportunities.

#13 Skills profile

Ensure your talent strategy offers and values internal growth opportunities based on skill data and profiles. Use solutions that can integrate with your entire learning and HR ecosystem so skill data isn’t stored in silos but can aggregate for a holistic picture of individual and organisational capabilities.

Promoters are more likely to update their profiles to signal their strengths and identify their next learning steps and 150% more likely to connect with peers or mentors who have similar skills.

#14 Collaborative tools

Provide access and visibility into experiential learning opportunities, such as an internal network or opportunity marketplace that matches skills to new experiences in which employees can practice and reinforce their development. This visibility helps mitigate proximity and other biases by being more inclusive and discoverable for all employees, not just referrals.

Promoters have control over their own career development, access to easy-to-use career planning tools, and experiential learning opportunities to develop consistently on the job.

#15 Stretch

What employees need from their managers and learning teams is the support and resources to grow. That could possibly include a mentorship or working on a temporary project on another team.

The largest differentiator between promoters and detractors is the ability to work with new teams or functions. Promoters are also more likely to work with a mentor or coach or on a temporary assignment with another team.

Overall, constructing a positive learning culture based on guidance, diverse experiences, feedback, and active development opportunities is the key to not only keeping up with the needs of your business but staying ahead with a skill-based, agile development strategy.

Source:

https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/15-ways-for-hr-leaders-to-promote-a-strong-learning-culture-for-higher-performance

Almost all homes, cafès, restaurants turned into workspaces now - PM

2021-10-13T17:11:00.009+08:00

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has outlined seven strategic thrusts for occupational safety and health (OSH) in in the country amidst an ever-changing work environment brought about by the pandemic.

He said these seven areas of focus were critical because a neglect of occupational safety and health could potentially cause Malaysia to lose 4 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) per year.

Ismail Sabri, who was speaking at the launch of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2021-2025 (OSHMP25) today, said such medium-term initiatives were drafted after taking into account the changes in the current employment scenario.

He said among other things, almost all homes, cafes and restaurants had been transformed into workspaces in the post Covid-19 world.

The seven strategic thrusts are OSH empowerment in the public sector; strengthening the practice of self-regulation in the workplace; the promotion of OSH education and research; occupational health empowerment; increased OSH compliance in the small and medium enterprise sector; strengthening OSH through technology; and increasing work-related road safety and OSH in the informal sector and future jobs.

"The seven strategic thrusts to adopting this safe work culture is crucial for all of us to adhere to.

"For everyone's information, a direct effect of occupational safety and health neglect is the loss of 4 per cent of the country's GDP per year.

"However, the government's priority is to prevent the loss of lives of the Keluarga Malaysia," he said at the launch of the master plan held virtually, today.

He said the seven strategic thrusts would drive the practice of a safe and healthy work culture, which would then increase Malaysia's Wellbeing Index.

"This plan would increase the safety and health levels at the workplace by reducing accidents, deaths and infections, which at the same time help the government's effort in improving the people's wellbeing

"The government's commitment in protecting human resources is centred on the principles of inclusivity and a safe work culture.

"At the national-level, the implementation of the long-term strategies of the OSH management system is in line with the International Labour Organisation Convention 2006," he added.

When elaborating on the OSHMP25, Ismail Sabri said the five-year medium-term plan was a continuation of previous plans, aimed at applying inclusive values to encourage participation by all parties, in line with the transformation of OSH systems nationwide.

"Moving forward, we must weather the global environment which is expected to become increasingly competitive as a result of this pandemic.

"It demands a transition in a drastic way to the new norms of jobs, such as working from home, with increased online activity."

He pointed out that the new scenario opened up many opportunities for the workforce, while the definition of a "workplace" becoming increasingly blurred as it was no longer necessary for employees to be in the office.

"Therefore, more and more will operate from home when most communications, meetings, and financial transactions are conducted virtually."

Ismail Sabri said this, however, also exposed employees to the safety and health risks such as ergonomic-related problems, linked to body posture while using computers or gadgets.

"Employees who are confined to the home for too long are also vulnerable to psychosocial problems, particularly mental stress and weaknesses in social interaction.

"The new situation also demands the government to look into affirmative action to ensure a healthy, safe, and conducive working environment is continued."

Also present at the event were Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, and Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Awang Hashim.

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/736212/almost-all-homes-caf%C3%A8s-restaurants-turned-workspaces-now-pm

Job market likely to recover in the coming months, says MIDF Research

2021-10-11T17:14:00.007+08:00

The job market is likely to recover in the coming months, backed by increasing domestic-oriented business activities and labour demand due to the improved domestic spending.

MIDF Research said the relaxation of restrictions following improved Covid-19 situation and encouraging progress in the vaccination programme would allow greater mobility.

"Therefore, this will support higher spending activity in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the ban on interstate travels expected to be lifted soon," said MIDF Research in a report recently.

However, the recovery may be gradual as the latest data on loss of employment increased to 5,415 in September 2021 compared to 4,326 in July 2021, where most job losses in the recent two months were recorded in manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade sectors.

"We expect the improving domestic spending will lead to better hiring in the wholesale and retail trade, while the growing external demand will support the employment outlook in the manufacturing sector."

MIDF Research said manufacturing employment might be constrained by ongoing supply chain bottlenecks, potentially weaker external demand, and rising production costs given higher commodity prices and global logistic issues.

"Overall, anticipating a continued recovery in Malaysia's job market in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021, we maintain our projection for the national unemployment rate to average around 4.5 per cent this year," said MIDF Research.

Labour market condition improved in August 2021 as Malaysia's economy gradually recovered from the impact of full lockdown as states were allowed to transition to the next phases in the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

With the gradual relaxation of the lockdown restrictions, the labour market began to recover, pushing the jobless rate lower to 4.6 per cent in August 2021.

Total unemployment fell by 3.8 per cent month-on-month (MoM) in August to 748,800 from 778,200 recorded in July 2021.

Nonetheless, MIDF Research said total employment rose to a new high with the overall employment recovered rising by +0.5 per cent MoM, reaching a new high of nearly 15.4 million people.

Source

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021/10/735453/job-market-likely-recover-coming-months-says-midf-research

Society should see future jobs in multiple specialisations, says Muhyiddin

2021-10-09T17:23:00.009+08:00

The society should see future jobs in the direction of multi-fields or multiple specialisations, where they are no longer focused on one area of specialisation, said National Recovery Council (MPN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said specialisation and expertise in diversified fields should now be the priority facing the working environment in post-Covid-19 pandemic.

“There is a dire need for students, graduates, youths and housewives, too, to adapt to changes brought about by the pandemic and digitisation by focussing on diversification of their skills.

“For example, if a person has skills in marketing, finance, sales or engineering, it should be balanced with a variety of other skills with higher added value. Similarly, an engineer, lecturer or government official should also be knowledgeable in marketing, sales, information technology, product development and computing,“ he said.

He said this in his special address titled ‘Skilled Youth - The Catalyst For National Recovery’ at the Minds For Malaysia (M4M): Bridging The Skills Gap Virtual Conference, here today.

Muhyiddin said the new norm due to the pandemic has formed the catalyst for transition to Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) which is expected to transform most of the labour market landscape around the world, including Malaysia.

However, he said this change has created a job mismatch, indicating that there is a shift in labour demand patterns, and if not handled wisely, it would cause a country to face significant challenges in providing the prospective quantity and quality of graduates who can meet the needs of future labour market.

Therefore, he recommended the community, especially the youths, to equip themselves with digital knowledge and skills to enhance economic prosperity so that they are better prepared in meeting any job demands of the current employment market.

He said skills in data computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), product development and cloud computing, for instance, can help create more job opportunities that are almost borderless.

He also encouraged the students, graduates and youths to attend highly skilled programmes to help improve employability and professionalism as well as making effort to acquire digital skills to face the challenges of the pandemic in preparation towards moving to the endemic phase.

“They must also develop soft skills to ensure marketability and employability. There are still many graduates and youths out there who are still not proficient enough in communicating or in expressing their views besides lacking problem-solving skills.

“They must acquire or develop certain soft skills, commonly sought by employers, to complement the technology know-how as this will set them apart from other job seekers,“ he advised.- Bernama

Source:

https://www.thesundaily.my/local/society-should-see-future-jobs-in-multiple-specialisations-says-muhyiddin-IE8446758

Youths must equip themselves with digital knowledge and skills

2021-10-09T17:19:00.008+08:00

Youths must equip themselves with digital knowledge and skills to enhance economic prosperity so that they are better prepared in meeting any job demands of the current employment market.

National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said students, graduates and youths must be encouraged to attend highly skilled programmes to help improve their employability and professionalism.

"They should engage themselves in multi-disciplinary businesses and make effort to acquire digital skills to face the challenges of the pandemic in preparation towards moving to the endemic phase.

"Apart from that, they must also develop soft skills to ensure marketability and employability," he said in his speech at the Minds For Malaysia Conference 2021 (M4M): Bridging The Skills Gap virtual conference today.

Muhyiddin said currently there were still many graduates and youths out there that were not proficient enough in communicating or in expressing their views besides lacking problem-solving skills.

"They must acquire or develop certain soft skills, commonly sought by employers, to complement the technical know-how as this will set them apart from other job seekers."

He said some of the skills that they need to acquire include intra-personal and interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, analytical thinking and innovativeness, creativity, initiative driven, and critical minds.

"They must always be hungry for knowledge. There is no denying that these skills which are highly in demand in the job market, coupled with leadership capabilities and social influence, teamwork and time management, will help reduce employability gap among graduates and youths in this country."

He adds the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic has also transformed the labour market landscape around the world, including Malaysia.

"This change in landscape has created a drastic job mismatch, indicating that there is a shift in labour demand patterns.

"This situation if not handled wisely will cause a country to face significant challenges in providing the quantity and quality prospective graduates who can meet the needs of the future labour market.

"Given this, the society should see future jobs in the direction of multi-field or multiple specialisations.

"It should no longer be focused on one area of specialisation only. Specialisation and expertise in diversified fields should now be the priority in facing the working environment post-Covid-19 pandemic.

"Therefore, there is a dire need for students, graduates, youths and housewives, too, to adapt to changes brought about by the pandemic and digitisation by focussing on diversification of their skills."

Muhyiddin said he hoped that the private sector and higher learning institutions will enhance the use of new technologies to facilitate the process of doing business and learning so that the economic recovery of this nation can be further accelerated.

"This health crisis also serves as a wake-up call for all of us to upgrade and strengthen technology and infrastructure to facilitate the education industry and other businesses in new normal.

"Urgent action is required to drive a digitally inclusive agenda to enable millions of people to work, learn and connect digitally.

"In other words, the enhancement of talents and potentials of Malaysians must be intensified.

"At the same time, we need to act proactively amid these challenging times by leading the technology utilised to empower the people, rather than replacing them."

Source:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/735017/youths-must-equip-themselves-digital-knowledge-and-skills

#TECH: Largest digital career fair

2021-10-08T10:22:00.002+08:00

JobStreet Malaysia will hold its largest Virtual Career Fair (VCF) from Oct 14 to 16, 2021.

The company sad, the fair will introduce new career tools and features – accessible to jobseekers before and during the event.

The upcoming VCF follows the success of JobStreet's Malaysia Career and Training Fair in July, which was hosted virtually and attended by 500,000 jobseekers.

JobStreet's managing director, Vic Sithasanan, said that the upcoming VCF will focus on helping jobseekers future-proof their careers with in-demand roles, and connect them with employers seeking to boost their organisation's growth by hiring at VCF.

"The employment market is on the road to recovery as the economy begins to progressively open up again due to the national vaccination programme," said Vic.

"As such, we are seeing much greater demand from both sides: Jobseekers seeking employment, and organisations looking to build strong and resilient teams," he said.

The event will focus on four key areas of specialisations: Manufacturing, Sales & Marketing, Business Development and IT. There will also be live interaction and on-the-spot interviews with participating employers, live webinars with career coaches and early access to career tools to prepare for the career fair.

Innovative – yet practical – features have also been incorporated for the virtual event.

They include career tools integration such as an artificial intelligence (AI) resume builder, interview practice tool, cover letter builder and salary calculator tool.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) also recently indicated that the recovering employment market was underpinned by more operations of economic and social activities, particularly since the start of second quarter 2021.

Known for enabling 'Jobs that Matter' and with over 40,000 online job postings per month, JobStreet said that thousands of jobs would be on offer at the Virtual Career Fair from across various industries throughout Malaysia. Leveraging on 20 years of experience in the career fair industry, VCF continues the rich tradition of a one-stop hub for jobseekers.

"VCF is about how Malaysians can better 'future proof' their careers, while serving as a springboard for growing jobs," said Vic.

"It also encapsulates in-demand roles due the fast-evolving world of work, and how jobseekers can better future-proof their careers with these roles which have been 'reimagined' due to digitalisation," he further said, adding that it is imperative for jobseekers to adapt and reskill themselves due to changes resulting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

"It is JobStreet's intention to also play our part in rebuilding the Malaysian economy," said Vic. "We encourage jobseekers to register for VCF and share their updated resume with us so employers can find them using our talent search service," he added.

Go to: www.jobstreet.com.my/vcf.

Work Matters! Commitment in a post-pandemic world?

2021-10-08T10:19:00.000+08:00

As the economy opens up, in what we hope are "post-pandemic" times, everyone has to adjust to new ways to managing life.

We need to manage our home-life, and make sure that our kids get educated. Our finances will be stretched. The relationships we're in may be harder. And, the biggest challenge is our work and career.

Are you happy at work? And, are you satisfied with your work and career, and are you confident that it will remain intact on the other side of this pandemic?

I reckon everything rests on your levels of commitment to make things work under difficult circumstances. I do not mean if you are merely "interested" in making things happen.

I mean truly committed!

John Assaraf is a New York Times bestselling author, and one of the world's leading authorities in behavioral sciences explains the difference between being interested in something, and being committed to it.

In a nutshell, he says that if you are "interested" in something, you will do what is convenient. But, if you are actually "committed" to it, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Right now, with your work, you cannot only do that which is only easy or expedient. You need to be committed to doing anything and everything it takes to make things better for you and those who depend on you.

Through my consulting work, I can attest that every successful person, whether they are a salaried employee or an entrepreneur that I have ever known, has shown total commitment to what they believe in, or the business they run.

This mindset manifests in everything they do, even outside their sphere of work.

The classic definition of being committed at work is about the enthusiasm an employee shows towards their tasks assigned at a workplace. It is the feeling of responsibility that the employee has for the goals, mission, and vision of their company.

How do you show commitment right now?

Flexibility

Can you adapt when your work presents you an unexpected turn of events, or are you rigid and obstinate in the way you do things? The capacity to modify when needed, is always important at the workplace, but more so now.

The way businesses and organisations are being forced to operate means that glitches, challenges and obstructions will be the norm. Being nimble enough to adjust, and to shift gears to surmount any of these issues, reduces their impact.

So, being flexible makes you extremely valuable in the current climate.

Reliability

At the workplace or even in your social circle, you know the people you can rely on. You also know which ones usually run late, fail to deliver what they promise, or often come up short.

I'm sure, you know how they make you feel!

When you ensure that you are that reliable and dependable employee at the work, it showcases you in a positive light to both your leaders, and your fellow colleagues. It makes an eminently suitable candidate, not only for promotions, but more importantly, to be retained when there are cuts or retrenchment.

While it might sound terribly old school, but rudimentary things like being on-time, every time, signals if you are a reliable person. Habits like taking last-minute time off, without advance notice, really dent your dependability.

Being dependable also shows in your work. If you are reliable, you will deliver work on time, and meet the required standards. When you regularly miss deadlines, or send in shoddy work, you become first on the firing line.

Uprightness

This trait, has become more critical than usual. Employers retain team members who are honest and ethical in all their work responsibilities. As an employee, your actions reflect on the company and contribute to its brand.

By working to build a positive reputation, you help the company become stronger, which gives you the job security you covet.

Don't ever forget that it is hard to build trust, but it is easily lost, especially when you are caught lying or fiddling. You need to show that you are somebody who can be trusted with important work tasks.

Flexibility, reliability and uprightness form the benchmarks for your show of commitment.

If you want to retain your job, or be assured through these challenging times, it all starts with your attitude. Limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and the tendency to conjure up excuses will get you out of a job now.

If you want to know whether you are just interested in your career or actually committed to it; think about what you have done today, this week, and perhaps over the past year. Your actions actually reveal the answer.

Your sense of purpose is shaped by the things you believe in, and value. When you have a strong sense of purpose, you will develop a personal code of behaviour. And, your connection to that purpose will help you live by these beliefs, and values.

The question remains, are you truly committed to succeed in a post-pandemic world?

Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller "So, You Want To Get Promoted?

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

Source:
https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/10/734600/work-matters-commitment-post-pandemic-world

Unpaid internships modern form of slavery?

2021-08-30T01:59:00.005+08:00

HERE is a question that I am sure many students have asked themselves at some point in time, “Should I accept an unpaid internship?”.

This is a common struggle that almost every university or college student has faced. It is something that many have pondered over because they believe that they may not possess the necessary skills to do the job given to them.

Generally, unpaid internships are more prevalent in creative industries such as entertainment, fashion and even media. One reason for this is that there is a tremendous difference between supply and demand of creative graduates and jobs available in the market.

On the other hand, industries like finance or marketing offer paid internships because these jobs are higher in demand. But regardless of the industry, unpaid internships should no longer exist in today’s modern day and age. In the past, accepting an unpaid internship was the norm as it was a common practice for companies to offer these placements with the promise of gaining hands-on experience and the opportunity to work with industry leaders. However, as the world progresses, so do the minds of youth.

More and more students today are reluctant to accept an unpaid internship because they are slowly starting to realise the value of their time and contribution to the company, even if still limited.

Unfortunately, there are still companies that subscribe to unpaid internship. But how different is this from slavery of ancient times? Thus, the question: “Is an unpaid internship an opportunity or a form of modern-day slavery?”

More often than not, students accept unpaid internships because they view it as a stepping stone in securing their dream job.

They believe that accepting an unpaid internship will grant them a higher chance of future employment as they would already have one foot in the door. But this belief is something that has been fed to them by corporations as a way to exploit students to make a quick buck. The promise of a potential job offer can be seen as a smoke screen for unethical hiring policies.

While more companies have slowly taken to paid interns, there are some that still do not. Whatever their reasons, it is high time the latter considered the positive side of paying interns. For one, is it not more likely that a paid intern would be a lot more motivated, even obligated, to do their best than an unpaid one? As the saying goes: If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Well, then, what if you don’t even pay peanuts?

Students come from all walks of life with some more fortunate than others. As such, unpaid internships tend to favour wealthier students as they can afford to forgo the pay.

Companies offering paid interns can take pride in giving out a hand to the ones who truly need it at the right time. And sometimes, that is all it takes to turn a young person’s life around. From my experience working in a part-time job, I know of many others who have also been working throughout their studies. If we were to accept an unpaid internship, we would be forced to give up our paying job as juggling two jobs is neither an easy task nor good for our health and studies.

In this pandemic-scarred economy, it is understandable why some students have been forced to accept an unpaid internship. Many businesses, if not closed for good, have been, understandably, forced to cut their expenses. This includes hiring unpaid interns who have the same responsibilities as full-time employees.

Some students realise they have had no choice but to adjust financially to fulfil their practical training as part of their studies. But let it be clear also that times like this are an exception or aberration. Paid internship should be made into a norm when things return to normal.

Simply put, if a company cannot afford to pay interns, then they should not be offering placements. But if they are in dire need of manpower, the least they could do is offer a small token for transport or meals. After all, something is always better than nothing.

So, should a student accept an unpaid internship? They should not. Companies that still offer unpaid internships should be frowned upon. All students should be given an equal opportunity to earn fair wages.

Disguising free labour on the pretext of offering students “experience” should no longer be accepted. Unpaid internship is a modern form of slavery. It is time we realise paid internship benefits all – companies and students, as well as society as a whole.

Samantha Olivia Skelchy is studying Bachelor of Communication at BERJAYA University College. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Source:
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/unpaid-internships-modern-form-of-slavery-NH8238816

IPEF 2021 to help revive countrys labour sector

2021-08-27T01:59:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Socso) will organise an Inernational Public Employment Forum 2021 (IPEF 2021) to help revive the countrys labour sector through the sharing of information and best practices to rebuild life after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Socso said the virtual international forum consisted of three different programmes which would be held simultaneously from Sept 6 to 9.

The programmes are Socso's Regional Return to Work (RTW) DIGIMOS Symposium 2021 (Sept 6 to 7), International Public Employment Services Symposium (Sept 7 to 8) and Career Fair (Sept 7 to 9).

All three programmes are open to all levels of the society and participation is free of charge.

Socso urged the public including professionals, academicians, employers, job seekers, graduates and school leavers to participate in IPEF 2021. Registration is now open through www.perkeso.gov.my/ipef, the statement read.

Socso said the RTW DIGIMOS Symposium 2021 themed Navigating Disability Management Through the New Normal: Return to Work Process Re-engineering was expected to gather over 1,000 participants from Southeast Asia and the panellists consist of experts in the field of disability management and rehabilitation in the workplace.

The inaugural symposium is in line with Socsos effort to continue helping persons with disabilities in dealing with the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the statement read.

Meanwhile, the International Public Employment Services Symposium, which is expected to attract over 40,000 participants, is a platform for prominent labour market figures to share their insights on rebuilding the Malaysian economy post-Covid-19.

According to the statement, the Career Fair will offer more than 20,000 vacancies from 126 employers including ExxonMobil, Honda, CIMB Bank, Top Glove, Schlumberger and Petron, thus helping to stimulate the countrys labour sector.

The public can contact Socsos Careline at 1300-22-800 or email ipef@perkeso.gov.my for further information and enquiries. - Bernama

Source:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/08/721907/ipef-2021-help-revive-countrys-labour-sector

Address youth unemployment

2021-08-26T02:01:00.002+08:00

LETTERS: Issues in the labour market, such as unemployment, are a global problem and have been for several decades. Malaysia is no exception. These issues mostly concern youth unemployment.

The rise in youth joblessness has not happened across the board, as the youth in some states in the country have fared much better than others. There are a lot of discussions on unemployed youth, but not much on the issues or trend of youth in employment.

Throughout last year, the country experienced a sluggish economic performance, with economic growth regressing by 5.6 per cent.

This created a large negative effect on wage earners, especially for new entrants to the labour market. The average wage for youth (those aged 15 to 29) has fallen to what it was three years ago at RM1,915.

Wage growth for youth had also taken a dip, dropping from 4.6 per cent to three per cent. Adults, too, had been negatively impacted. However, their wage growth reduction is relatively minimal compared with the younger workforce, from five per cent to 4.2 per cent.

Analysing deeper, the number of youth in high-skilled jobs is lower than adults. For example, last year, only two out of 10 high-skilled jobs were held by younger people. Furthermore, they faced a high level of competition in gaining employment, especially in the higher-quality and skilled work categories.

For example, last year, younger people made up only one-fifth of those employed in the information and communication sector, and only three out of 10 workers in the professional, scientific and technical sub-sectors were youth.

Therefore, young Malaysians face a two-fold problem: their wage growth is stagnant and they lack the opportunities to work in high-skilled jobs and future sub-sectors.

These challenges are making it harder for the younger generation to achieve financial independence and for them to have a better career trajectory. It is hoped, therefore, that the government will seriously look into resolving them.

Youth are the future of the workforce in any country. So, perhaps, there are some recommendations that need to be highlighted.

For starters, the government can enact policies that enhance the transition from tertiary education to the workplace, foster the creation of more highly skilled jobs for youth, and increase the wellbeing and social capital of youth.

Investment is crucial to growth, which can be shared in all stages, especially the young. Moreover, better education, training, and retraining can ease labour market adjustment to long-term economic transformation, especially in the Fourth Industrial Revolution age.

So, the issues of a lack of opportunity for an excellent career path and the youth's contributions to the economy, which affect the Malaysian labour market, deserve attention.

In addition, investing is not the only solution to the problem, though it might solve youth unemployment as it also helps push labour's income share upwards and, at the same time, reverses the negative trend of recent decades.

To summarise, structural and fiscal policies should promote economic conditions conducive to sustainable and more inclusive real wage growth.

The youth will be hopeful that the situation can be tackled and improved in the short and medium term, taking into account the progress in overcoming the pandemic.

AMIRUL HAMZA ABDULLAH

Research Analyst

Institut Masa Depan Malaysia (MASA)

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

Source:
https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters/2021/08/719834/address-youth-unemployment

Mental health equally important in fighting Covid-19 pandemic

2021-08-16T02:13:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Managing mental health among the people including frontliners during the Covid-19 pandemic is equally important as fighting the virus outbreak.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said human psychology also has an impact on the outbreak.

Hence, he said proper strategies to manage human psychology, especially mental health, is very important to break the vicious cycle.

"Managing our mental health is a priority now to ensure the curve can be flattened and Covid-19 defeated," he said when delivering his keynote address during the Malaysian Healthcare Conference 2021 held via Zoom today.

Dr Adham said mental health can be managed using cognitive-behavioural approaches, mindfulness and spirituality.

"By practising the cognitive-behavioural, mindfulness, and spirituality strategies, we may enhance our acceptance, optimism and commitment to prepare for a new or renewed normal," he added.

Another challenge the government has to face is countering the unprecedented level of misinformation, conspiracy theories and rumours pertaining to Covid-19.

He conceded that such a spread of information is an outcome of the pandemic taking place during the "social media age".

He said social media platforms have responded to the majority of social media posts rated false by fact-checkers by removing them or attaching various warnings.

"Consistency in public health messaging as well as increased funding dedicated to fact-checking seems to be needed as the immediate first step," he said.

The fight against Covid-19 has pushed health systems toward a more integrated and value-based approach to managing diseases, he said.

He said it represents an important long-term opportunity to create more patient-centred health systems to facilitate continuous learning through sharing standardised data, and benchmarks and, as a result, employ resources more effectively to meet patient needs.

It seems inevitable that post Covid-19, there will be a review of policies, guidelines, and regulations relating to individual rights, he said.

"There are also needs to review the implementation of drastic public health measures, as well as the governance of new technologically driven solutions within healthcare.

"Out of crises comes learning and innovation - both to face our immediate challenge and to build more sustainable health systems, for a healthier and safer world in the decades to come," he added.

The two-day conference themed "Accelerating the Transformation of Health Systems in a Pandemic - Challenges & Opportunities" was organised by KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific.

Source:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/08/717705/mental-health-equally-important-fighting-covid-19-pandemic

Women Netpreneur programme for women in e-commerce

2021-08-13T02:09:00.005+08:00

THE Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Ministry (Medac) has collaborated with SME Corp Malaysia to help women entrepreneurs to master e-commerce through its Women Netpreneur programme.

It also collaborated with non-profit organisation Gorgeous Geeks Malaysia to improve digital skills among women entrepreneurs as well as increase their income and marketability.

“Women entrepreneurs are important contributors to the economy and we cannot ignore them.

“Therefore, it is important that we help them, especially those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Medac Deputy Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin during the virtual launch yesterday.

According to Mas Ermieyati, women entrepreneurs have contributed about RM69.1 billion to the country’s GDP, based on the Economic Census 2016 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

Additionally, women-owned businesses have also created a total of 786,132 job opportunities with a salary of RM11.1 billion.

“Medac is very committed to empowering women in the country’s economic development.

“We will continue to support the Women Netpreneur programme by intensifying engagement sessions with women entrepreneurs,” Mas Ermieyati added.

To-date, the Women Netpreneur has trained about 2,280 women entrepreneurs and 80% of them have successfully subscribed to online shopping platforms such as Facebook, Shopee and Lazada to market their businesses.

Meanwhile, SME Corp Malaysia chairman Datuk Seri Syed Hussien Al Habshee said the Women Netpreneur is expected to benefit 480 women entrepreneurs.

“SME Corp has supported the programme through our funds from the Micro Connector.

“Due to the encouraging response, the second series of the Women Netpreneur will continue from August to November 2021,” he said.

Syed Hussein said the Micro Connector is an ongoing initiative of SME Corp to provide early-stage facilitation to help micro-enterprises in conducting business more efficiently.

Among the programmes designed specifically for women entrepreneurs are e-commerce training, creative sewing art courses, child-care workshops and beauty courses, which have benefitted 1,671 participants to-date.

Source:
https://themalaysianreserve.com/2021/08/13/women-netpreneur-programme-for-women-in-e-commerce/

by ANIS HAZIM / pic by BERNAMA

How to build a respectful and harassment-free work environment

2021-08-12T02:11:00.004+08:00

This involves enforcing an anti-harassment policy, fostering a safe and conducive culture, exercising sensitivity from the top, and improving employees' understanding, share experts from Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).
A safe and conducive workplace allows employees to carry out their work productively. To achieve this, employers can build up the organisation's ability to manage grievances and workplace harassment.

Harassment occurs in different forms, within and outside the office. In some instances, an individual’s behaviour may be construed as harassment even when there is no intention to cause harm, as perpetuators often fail to recognise that their behaviour is causing distress to others. 

Here are four ways to build a respectful and harassment-free workplace:

#1 Enforce an anti-harassment policy

An effective anti-harassment policy complements an organisation’s grievance handling procedures. It provides employees with ways to prevent and handle workplace harassment. This can include examples of workplace harassment and avenues for reporting them.  

As harassment can happen to anyone at work and involve supervisors, peers, and customers, employers should ensure that the policy is clearly communicated to all employees and indicate the available avenues for reporting e.g. anonymous whistle-blowing, HR or management. HR and supervisors should also be trained to identify and manage these incidents, and not to adopt a dismissive attitude as this could foster a culture of silence.

#2 Foster a safe and conducive organisational culture

Organisations need to proactively examine their corporate culture and consider if it fosters harassment and unprofessional conduct. For instance, they can review if their management is leading by example in condemning sexist remarks that may cause discomfort among co-workers. This would affect employees’ perception of whether the organisation is committed towards building a respectful workplace.

#3 Exercise sensitivity starting from the top

Individuals tend to perceive things differently and may be offended by comments or gestures that are not intended to offend. Perspective-taking is a positive habit that organisations should cultivate (e.g. how will others perceive my words and actions?). This encourages one to think before speaking or acting, preventing misunderstanding or gestures that may be deemed offensive.  

Train leaders to be more self-aware and consider how best to communicate effectively and sensitively in different scenarios, so they can model positive behaviours and condemn offensive ones.

#4 Provide opportunities for employees to improve understanding

Poor workplace relationships could be a risk factor for negative behaviours such as bullying. As the workforce becomes increasingly diverse, the lack of cultural understanding could lead to misunderstanding and perceived harassment (e.g. in some cultures, it is a norm to greet people with hugs and kisses). Organisations can create opportunities for employees to interact through activities to develop cross-cultural understanding.

Behaviours that are unprofessional and disrespectful, if left unchecked, affect an organisation’s reputation, morale, and productivity. Approach TAFEP’s Workplace Harassment Resource and Recourse Centre if you need advice and assistance on workplace harassment.

Visit tafep.sg for more information. 

Source:
https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/how-to-build-a-respectful-and-harassment-free-work-environment