Gig workers’ training must be inclusive

AS gig work becomes an increasingly common source of income, a lack of skills training can be detrimental to gig workers’ future prospects. Skills training can help all workers diversify their skills, especially with new technologies increasingly requiring new skills and knowledge.

However, skills training in Malaysia is generally funded by formal employers, who can use the levy paid to the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) to cover the costs of training their employees. As many gig workers do not have formal employers, they might not have the financial resources to pay for training programmes. This prevents workers from obtaining new skills to safeguard or improve their incomes.