PETALING JAYA: Malaysian employers need to equip themselves with the right technology and knowledge to ensure they can navigate the future and not be left behind, said futurist Prof Henrik von Scheel.
Speaking to a group of CEOs and senior management personnel during a breakfast dialogue session yesterday organised by the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), he said this is necessitated by the shift towards Asia.
“The world is changing, and that change is moving toward Asia. The global forces are working in your favour. This doesn’t mean the journey will be easy – it won’t. But for the first time, you have a seat at the table.
“This is no longer the time to simply consume information after it reaches you. It’s time to anticipate change and understand its impact,” said Prof von Scheel, who is credited with coining the term “Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)”.
He also said that despite the rapid advancement of technology, human beings will remain the “centrepiece” of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The more technological we become, the more human we need to be.
“It’s not just about work skills any more. It’s about adaptability, networks, and the ability to respond to change.
“We identified several mega trends that are colliding and reshaping the world.
“Malaysia’s future depends on its workforce and how we ensure that everyone can participate and succeed. This means creating a workforce that is smarter, wealthier and healthier for everyone.”
He said although politicians may be seen as controlling how economies work, growth will not last without a skilled workforce and access to the right capabilities.
“It does not matter if many people enter engineering schools if they eventually leave for Singapore or other countries. We need to ensure that Malaysians want to stay here, build families here, earn good incomes and achieve their dreams.
“Great leaders are not successful because they always made the right decisions; they became leaders because they learn from many wrong decisions and use those experiences to make better choices,” said Prof von Scheel.
Another speaker, industrial policy expert Dr Abir Haddad, said that in an evolving economy, changing entrenched regulatory processes could take so much time to the extent that regulations become inefficient or insufficient.
“The government’s role is to ensure that regulations are fair, particularly in protecting consumers, and it must also ensure long-term economic security.
“In essence, regulation is the implementation of a nation’s strategy.
“At the centre is the nation’s internal system – the interaction between government, society, businesses and financial institutions. However, this internal system is also influenced by external forces that include climate change, changes in the workforce, technological advancements such as artificial intelligence, and many others.
“Regulation must ensure that not only the internal system functions well, but that these external forces are properly managed.
“The role of regulators is extremely important,” said Abir.
At the dialogue session, MEF CEO Datuk Seri Rosman Mohamed said more needs to be done to enable future generations of Malaysians to take the country to higher levels.
“If we fail to adapt, we will be left behind. Just look around us. Consider where Thailand and Singapore are today. It is worth taking a moment to reflect on our own progress and ask ourselves what more we can do to make a difference,” he said.
MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said new technologies that are emerging demands practitioners upskill quickly.
“We must ensure that this knowledge is integrated into the organisation and becomes part of our living culture.
“If Malaysia does not take action quickly, we risk being left behind.”
