Minimising errors: A customer seen using a QR code to order food at a restaurant here. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: While modern technology has improved productivity and eased operations, businesses here say it has done little to address the long-standing labour shortage issue.
Liza Othman, an operations manager of a restaurant, said that while technology offers many advantages, reducing the number of workers was not one of them.
“We started using QR codes for placing orders about two months ago and it is still in the trial phase. So far, it has been going smoothly.
“We are still assessing whether this technology is practical in the long run, especially since our target customers are senior citizens who may not be keen on using QR codes,” she said in an interview.
Liza added that their decision to adopt QR codes was not due to a labour shortage but rather to keep up with technological trends.
“For me, the most noticeable advantage of using QR codes is reducing human error.
“As humans, we can make mistakes, such as miscalculating bills or mixing up table orders.
“The QR code system helps minimise such errors because everything is entered directly into the system, leaving little room for mistakes,” she said.
A similar sentiment was also shared by restaurant owner Hussein Ibrahim, who said that technology has yet to replace human workers in the food and beverage industry.
“Perhaps in the next few years, we will have efficient and affordable robots that could reduce the need for waitstaff, but I don’t think we are there yet.
“The current robots available here move very slowly and require a lot of maintenance.
“I tried using one for a few months but later decided to drop the idea as it was very impractical,” said Hussein, who is also the secretary-general of the Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association (Perusim).
He added that while robots are not practical for Indian Muslim (mamak) restaurants, other technologies, such as QR codes and table ordering by card, have been beneficial.
“Robots are not ideal for mamak restaurants, especially since we have both indoor and outdoor dining areas, which robots cannot navigate on their own.
“However, many mamak restaurants are now using QR codes or contactless ordering via cards, which has significantly improved speed and efficiency.
“It also makes it easier for us to record earnings for tax purposes and prevents workers from pocketing money,” he said.
However, Hussein said the labour shortage remains a major issue in Johor, especially in Johor Baru, as many locals prefer to work in Singapore due to the higher exchange rate.
“These technologies help make operations smoother and faster, but we still need many workers to run our businesses,” said Hussein.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said that while modern technology is welcomed, it has yet to be fully developed to meet the needs of the hotel industry.
“Labour shortage remains a problem here, and these are jobs that robots simply cannot do.
“Our biggest challenge now is hiring back-end workers, such as cleaners.
“However, I believe that hotels here will eventually follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in Singapore by using robots for specific tasks, such as vacuuming hotel lobbies and other large public areas.
“Normally, when something becomes a trend in Singapore, we see the same thing happening here as well,” he said.
