KUCHING: Sarawak needs to invest more in workforce reskilling and upskilling to produce a skilled workforce essential for unlocking the potential of digital economy.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said rapid advances in technologies such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), data science, robotics, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies were changing the very nature of jobs in a digital economy environment and the skills needed to execute the jobs.
He said this when delivering a keynote address titled “Unlocking the potential of digital economy for Sarawak” at the Immersive Learning Summit hosted by EON Reality at its IDC and VR Innovation Academy Worklife Hub in Bologna, Italy on Wednesday.
EON Reality is a multinational virtual reality and augmented reality software developer founded in 1999 and headquartered in Irvine, California.
He then said companies would not simply be able to fall back on hiring new employees as they attempted to future-proof their workforce.
“To address the problem, we need to invest more in workforce reskilling and upskilling.”
Among members of the Chief Minister’s entourage were officials of Sarawak’s Centre of Technical Excellence (CENTEXS) tasked with the training of workers in fields required by the industries in Sarawak. The centre is also collaborating with Huawei of China to provide training in digital technologies.
“For example, while AI would create new jobs, the positions would require a different set of skills,” he stressed.
Citing the World Economic Forum, he added at least 133 million new roles would be generated globally as a result of digital transformation by 2022.
Abang Johari said as new roles emerged and skills requirements changed, the size of the existing pool of skilled workers just would not be big enough to meet demand.
He told the audience that, soon after taking over as Chief Minister, he boldly undertook to spearhead the digital economy initiative that would revolutionise Sarawak’s economy and industries, and spur socioeconomic growth and advancement.
“I, supported by cabinet colleagues wanted Sarawak to be part of the Global Economy, with an opportunity to tap into the global economy worth over $100 trillion in the next 10 years,” he said.
He expressed his firm belief that the focus on creating a digital economy for Sarawak was necessary to reduce Sarawak’s overreliance on natural resources.
“If we want to get out of our dependence on natural resources, we need to be part of the digital economy, which has been growing exponentially and it is a global economy creating millionaires by the day,” he said.
He told the audience that Sarawak had embarked on several initiatives in its digital transformation journey.
These included the digital infrastructure, Sarawak ID, Sarawak Pay and e-commerce facilities, Old Kuching Smart Heritage City, AR/VR driven tourism portal, establishing innovation hubs and Digital Village to support entrepreneurs in the digital space, he added.
He said the Sarawak government was also digitalising its systems, processes throughout various agencies and departments, to increase productivity through the efficient use of resources, easier access to information as well as wider and quicker service reach.
“Sarawak Pay, launched by the Sarawak government in December 2017, is the government’s e-wallet platform to help support e-commerce, fintech and digital government. Sarawak Pay has 125,000 registered users, with transactions valued at over RM35 million.
“Our target is to reach 150,000 users by year end,” he said.
Sharing further with the audience on Sarawak’s digital transformation journey, he said the state also needed to bring its digital infrastructure up to date so that high-speed connectivity could be provided to all Sarawakians.
“We are rolling out 600 telecommunication towers with 300 to be completed by the end of 2020,”
He expressed his confidence that all the initiatives were within Sarawak’s grasp in the not too distant future as modern technologies like AI, immersive learning, IoT, automation and robotics and global partnership would allow Sarawak to leapfrog scaling opportunities across the sectors.
