Malaysia must make ready for ‘Industry 4.0’ now, say employers and businesses
15 June 2017 Print page
TO GO WITH LIFESTYLE-ASIA-EDUCATION-MALAYSIA-INTERNET BY JULIA ZAPPEI
In a picture taken on August 27, 2012, students prepare for an exam in front of their computers at Kuala Lumpur-based Asia e University (AeU). Online university education is expanding quickly in Asia, where growth in technology and Internet use is matched by a deep reverence for education. AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — Malaysia must make clear preparations for the impending automation and data usage that will fundamentally alter the employment landscape in coming decades, said industry groups.
Looking ahead to the advent of “Industry 4.0”, the trend towards increasing automation of jobs and the use of data, as well as the National Transformation 2050 (TN50), they said policies concerning education and technology must be put in place rapidly.
Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said automation and computerisation was already happening in the financial sector, adding that changes must be adopted soon to prevent Malaysia from falling behind.
“In 2015, more than 18,000 employees were retrenched in the banking sector because banks adopted technologies which could replace the job of man.
“I would say Industry 4.0 has already started but not in a full swing yet… by TN50 maybe? Hence, we must seriously look at revamping our education system today to cater a better tomorrow,” he told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.
The arrival of “Industry 4.0” may mean that students today may not have jobs in the fields for which they are studying, or may lack skills and knowledge necessary for areas where there will be jobs growth, he explained.
When predicting the future of the country’s economy, economists have suggested that automation and data would sweep virtually all industries by 2050.
In the West, there is increasing discourse of policies such as a “universal basic income” to address the possibility that robots may eliminate many of the basic jobs that are currently performed by humans.
Universal basic income is a social safety net that provides citizens with unconditional sum of money to achieve a minimum standard of living.
When contacted, Federation of Malaysian Foundry and Engineering Industries Association president Tan Poh Seng said it was imperative to accept that technological advances were inevitable.
He similarly said the government must start adopting drastic measures now to prepare the country for the coming disruption.
“Heading towards Industry 4.0 is unavoidable and it is bound to happen by TN50, so we need to look at steps today like education and proper training programmes quickly,” he said.
Coined in 2012 by the German government, Industry 4.0 covers the integration of robotics and computers in manufacturing, to take advantage of technological and communications advances.
The shift promises pure transparency in daily operations, but with a reduction in human dependency.
The latter, while promising from a business standpoint, could result in an upheaval of society where unskilled labour may find itself obsolete.
Source : http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-must-make-ready-for-industry-4.0-now-say-employers-and-businesses#sthash.TUdxUJxM.TKcNPaiX.dpuf