IR4.0 will increase employment opportunities.
https://www.mida.gov.my/mida-news/ir4-0-will-create-more-highly-skilled-jobs/
Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Lim Ban Hong said the IR4.0 provides an
opportunity for the country to produce a new generation of workers who could use new
technologies in the manufacturing and industrial sectors.
“It will also increase employment opportunities for the locals,” he said in response to a
supplementary question from Datuk Mohd Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohd Salim wanted to know the plan undertaken by the government to curb the possibility of more
Malaysians losing jobs in the future as the McKinsey Global Institute had stated that the IR4.0 would
cause around 75 million to 375 million workers globally to be replaced by automation and robotics
by 2030.
Lim said for Malaysia, the workforce to be replaced would be in the labour-intensive sectors that
rely largely on foreign labour.
IR4.0 will cause impact on employment opportunities
https://www.changerecruitmentgroup.com/knowledge-centre/how-will-the-fourth-industrial-
revolution-impact-the-future-of-work
A recent study released by McKinsey Global Institute reports that roughly one-fifth of the global
workforce will be impacted by the adoption of AI and automation, with the most significant impact
in developed nations like the UK, German and US. By 2022, 50% of companies believe that
automation will decrease their numbers of full-time staff and by 2030, robots will replace 800 million
workers across the world.
While these figures may sound depressing, it may also simply represent a change within the
workforce and displaced employees could, with the right skills, take on more beneficial roles. The
World Economic Forum reports that 38% of businesses believe AI and automation technology will
allow employees to carry-out new productivity-enhancing jobs while over 25% of companies think
automation will result in the emergence of new roles.
Malaysia is not technically ready for Industry 4.0 yet.
https://www.easyuni.my/en/advice/is-malaysia-ready-industrial-revolution-2409/
The answer is almost none as these technologies require internet with a fairly decent connection
speed to make things work. The average internet connection speed in Malaysia is 13.3 megabits per
second, which is the 8th country with the fastest internet connection in Asia.
Compared to our neighbour country Thailand that has an average connection speed of 17.06
megabits per second and Singapore which topped the rank with a lightning speed of 60.39 megabits
per second, Malaysia shows that there’s still plenty of room for improvement to catch up with the
trend of Industry 4.0.
Besides the average internet connection speed, the stability of the internet connection and its
coverage are also issues that need to be solved as there are still some parts in Malaysia where the
internet is not accessible.
From things which have mentioned above, it is clear that Malaysia is still not ready to get in the
game as there are gaps in digital infrastructures and lack of awareness on the concept of Industry 4.0
and its benefits.
To accelerate the adoption of Industry 4.0 in Malaysia, the government plays a crucial role. In
response to the Industrial Revolution 4.0, the government has launched the Industry4WRD: National
Policy on Industry 4.0 to drive digital transformation in various sectors in Malaysia and one of the
initiatives is by developing the Knowledge Research for Science and Technology Excellence
(KRSTE.my) and setting up an Industry Digitalisation Transformation Fund to encourage industries to
utilise artificial intelligence.
Last but not least, Malaysian should learn to embrace the benefits and opportunities that avail with
Industrial Revolution 4.0 to accelerate adoption.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Economic Impact and Possible Disruptions
https://www.nicva.org/sites/default/files/d7content/attachments-articles/
the_impact_of_the_4th_industrial_revolution_on_jobs_and_the_sector.pdf
How do we prepare for it?
https://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/future-jobs-and-fourth-industrial-revolution-business-usual-
unusual-business
South Korea, the most innovative country in 2017 according to Bloomberg, is a rare example of a
country where government-driven industrial promotion of technology-intensive sectors has been
remarkably successful. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been one of the most discussed topics
among the candidates’ debates in recent presidential elections.
The newly elected President Moon Jae-in recently proposed a set of policies to help South Korea
take full advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These policies focus on advancing technology
that is both scalable and profitable. His proposals include:
Improving coordination and knowledge exchanges by creating a Fourth Industrial Revolution
committee under the direct control of the president. This committee, supposedly consisted
of the government, experts and business, and coordinated by the Ministry of Science, ICT
and Future Planning, would spearhead policy-making on the Fourth Industrial Revolution
technologies.
Setting up an organization that supports research and development (R&D) for small ventures
with government startup assistance.
Establishing supporting infrastructure, such as a smart highway for autonomous vehicles,
which could reduce the cost of production for new inventions.
