KUALA LUMPUR: The world must not lose sight of workers’ welfare amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and global trade shifts, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.
Speaking at the Asean Year of Skills 2025: Global Skills Forum (GSF) opening ceremony, he said while technology continues to reshape industries and economies, workers’ rights, protection and dignity must remain central to progress.
“As the world focuses on new trade alignments and power shifts, we must ensure the hard-won gains of workers over the past century are not only safeguarded but advanced further.”
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was also present.
Sim cited the gig economy as an example of how millions still lack basic protections traditionally granted to employees.
“The more I reflect on the gig economy, the more I realise we are using 21st-century technology to generate profit while relying on 10th-century labour concepts of feudal serfdom.”
He stressed that protecting workers also means preparing them for the future, with dignity depending not only on fair treatment but on access to education and upskilling.
Many universities, he noted, still follow outdated systems that no longer meet workforce demands.
“This is not to dismiss universities – they are improving, as seen in Malaysian institutions’ rise in the QS World Rankings. However, IR 4.0 must also become a TVET revolution, as it is ultimately driven by skills.”
Training, Sim said, must be agile and flexible to match industry needs, guided by three key principles – learning on the job, by practice and continuously.
Under Zahid’s leadership, the National TVET Council and the Human Resources Ministry are developing a national training platform offering industry-approved local and international courses.
“Malaysia has already laid a strong foundation through HRD Corp, where employers contribute 1% of payroll to fund employee training.”
Between 2023 and August this year, HRD Corp collected RM6.17 billion in levies, with RM5.77 billion used to train more than four million workers.
Sim said employers now have greater flexibility to use these funds for a wider range of practical and continuous learning programmes.
“In Budget 2026, the prime minister announced extra tax deductions for companies training workers in AI, showing Malaysia’s commitment to a future-ready workforce.”
Since 2023, the National Training Week has promoted lifelong learning through free courses, expanding from 130,000 participants to nearly four million in 2025.
“This initiative builds a culture of continuous learning that ensures no Malaysian is left behind.”
Sim said Malaysia envisions Asean as a 700 million-strong skilled region united by shared cultures and traditions, making regional integration easier than ever.
The GSF, held for the first time in Malaysia, marks the culmination of the Asean Year of Skills 2025.
