Digital resilience in a new world

PwC Malaysia’s survey on technology, jobs, and skills

July 2020



 

In recent years, the world has seen technology develop at an accelerated pace, ushering in a new world that calls for the acquirement of new skills. The impact of technology on jobs cannot be understated, with the rise of automation changing the way tasks are carried out, putting jobs in various industries at risk. With COVID-19 now forcing organisations to speed up their adoption of technology, a key question is: Are Malaysians ready to face this new digital world? 

To find out, we asked the Malaysian public to share their views on their preparedness to work alongside technology. Our survey was carried out from 20 April 2020 to 22 May 2020. During this period, Malaysia was under a Movement Control Order (MCO), followed by a Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 986 participants responded to our survey. 

 

70%

believe technology will change their current jobs in 3-5 years

34%

are worried about automation putting jobs at risk

71%

believe technological developments will improve their job prospects in the future

93%

would accept the opportunity to better understand or use technology

46%

are provided with all the necessary tools to be effective when working remotely

Explore the key findings

General agreement that technology is changing jobs

  • Most respondents are in agreement that change is coming: 70% believe that technology will change their current jobs in 3-5 years, while 82% believe they’ll feel the impact in 6-10 years. 
  • 77% are excited or optimistic about the role technology can play in their jobs. From those who feel positive:
    • 35% are hopeful that technology would allow them to do more interesting work.
    • 27% are hopeful that technology would enable them to get more done.

Amid optimism lies concerns around job security

78% believe automation brings more opportunities than risks, yet 34% are worried about automation putting jobs at risk.

 

Digital skills are key to improving job prospects

  • 71% believe technological developments will improve their job prospects in the future.
  • 85% would learn new skills now or completely retrain in order to improve their future employability

 

The desire to be digitally savvy is strong

  • 93% would accept the opportunity to better understand or use technology.
  • 38% say they are given many opportunities by their current employer to improve their digital skills outside their normal duties, while 53% say they are given some.
  • 49% believe individuals are responsible for upskilling themselves

 

More effort needs to be made to fully enable employees to work remotely in the new normal

  • 46% say they were provided with all the necessary tools to be effective when working remotely. 
  • 48% say they were prepared with some tools, but indicated they would have been more effective if provided with a few more key ones.
  • Only 41% say their organisational culture already supports and empowers employees to work outside the office should the need arise.

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Contact us

Nurul A'in Abdul Latif

Nurul A'in Abdul Latif

Executive Chair, PwC Malaysia

Tel: +60 (3) 2173 0935

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