The talk of Industry 4.0 started quite some time ago. Some of us are excited about what's to come, yet the rest are probably worried about their job security. This article will briefly glance through Industry 4.0 and its influence in Malaysia, especially on how individuals can adapt their perceptions/focus in facing the latest industrial revolution. The rapid advancement of the internet, network, and Programmable Logic Computers have increased the advancement of many sectors in Malaysia. Tech-based industry and automation are receiving an increasing demand in the market, leading individuals who specialize in the software game to find themselves in the employee's market. The government has also prioritized the development and asupport of tech-based, manufacturing, and even the agriculture industry is feeling the bump!
Industry 4.0: Individual Growth Many discussed the challenges and readiness of Malaysia-as a country, to face Industry 4.0. However, what would this innovation mean for employees in Malaysia? How secure are our jobs? The answer to that question is simple: if you do not re-skill yourself on the crucial qualities that will be needed in the future, then maybe your jobs are not as secured as you would like it to be.
"Our machine increasingly do our work for us, yet it does not make our skill redundant, nor our labor superfluous." - David Autor.
Many international entities (e.g. World Bank Organization & International Labour Organization) highlight the importance of life-long learning, as well as the importance for us to re-focus on sharpening our cognitive abilities for innovation and also our social-emotional skill. Let's look at it this way: instead of perceiving machines as your replacement, perceive it as an instrument that bought you freedom from the mundane tasks so that you can think for the betterment of the future. If you upskill yourself, you can fill in the gaps that are left empty by the machines-further innovations. Probably to merge and further enhance your team's current processes & performance. And to do that, we all need to focus on sharpening our cognitive abilities (yes, even as working adults/seniors) and your social-emotional skill for stronger teamwork.
Since we are all homebound with the lockdown, check out some reading and free study materials:-
edX by Harvard and MIT on The Future of Work.
edX by Harvard and MIT on How to Revolutionalize your Business.
edX by Harvard and MIT on Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work.