Laying the groundwork: (From left) TalentCorp Group CEO Thomas Mathew, Sim, Gobind and MyDigital CEO Adrian Marcellus pictured during the MOU signing.
PETALING JAYA: A cross-agency collaboration has been launched to enhance Malaysia’s artificial intelligence (AI) workforce development through the launch of the MyMahir National AI Council for Industry (MyMahir-NAICI).
Led by Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp), a strategic think-tank under the Human Resources Ministry, and the National AI Office (NAIO) under the Digital Ministry’s MyDigital Corporation, the initiative aims to coordinate AI talent development and drive multi-sector implementation.
During MyMahir-NAICI’s inaugural meeting, there was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between TalentCorp and MyDigital witnessed by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
“The question is not whether AI will replace jobs, but whether we will empower Malaysians to evolve with it,” said Sim in his opening speech yesterday.
“Through MyMahir-NAICI, we are forging a whole-of-nation mechanism, aligning skills with strategy, technology with talent and policy with purpose,” he said.
Sim also said the ministry is offering about 300,000 high-skilled training opportunities, including AI and Industrial Revolution 4.0 technologies.
“These programmes range from short-term to long-term, offering various certifications such as the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) and include micro-programmes.”
He noted that while the ministry provides these opportunities, many AI initiatives are led by the Digital Ministry in collaboration with major companies.
“For the upcoming National Training Week 2025, the ministry expects a million participants to engage in the available training sessions,” said Sim.
Gobind emphasised the importance of government leadership in building structures that connect innovation to real-world AI implementation.
“While NAIO focuses on creating the demand and representing deployment, TalentCorp focuses on building the talent supply and MyMahir-NAICI completes the virtuous cycle by continuously feeding back for policy improvement,” he said in his speech.
The council commits to a three-year collaboration focusing on four pillars: AI talent development, industry integration, policy and funding alignment, as well as stakeholder governance.
TalentCorp serves as the secretariat, with NAIO aligning efforts with the national AI roadmap.
Supporting this initiative are four key instruments: the MyMahir Impact Study, which identifies affected roles and future skills; the MyMahir.my platform for policy-to-action implementation; the G.I.A.T. Action Plan for coordination across government, industry, academia, and training providers; and the AI Talent Framework, covering skills from digital literacy to advanced AI expertise.
The MyMahir Impact Study projects that AI could significantly affect 620,000 jobs or 18% of formal sector roles in Malaysia in the next three to five years, while also identifying 60 emerging roles in AI, digital, green and deep tech sectors.
A notable aspect of this collaboration is the integration of the AI Readiness Index (AIRI) into the MyMahir.my platform, enabling companies to assess AI preparedness, identify capability gaps, and take actionable steps toward transformation.
Pilot programmes will be validated using real-world industry problem statements. The council’s progress will be monitored by the AI Implementation Monitoring Unit and reported to the ministers.
