PETALING JAYA | Now more than ever, workers must prove their relevance to their employers to avoid losing their jobs as times are tough, said the SME Association of Malaysia.
Its secretary-general, Chin Chee Seong, said employees must show their value to the company by being reliable and productive.
“They must keep learning and growing. They must continuously develop skills and knowledge to stay relevant to industry demands,” Chin told FMT.
He said workers must be open to change and be willing to take on new challenges to help their companies through difficult times.“They must take the initiative and be proactive in finding ways to contribute to the company’s success, and drive digitalisation,” he said.
However, he said, “it always works both ways” as employers also needed to show extra care and support for their staff, especially during such difficult times.
Chin was talking about how employees could hold on to their jobs following a report last week quoting the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) as saying up to RM60,000 people could become unemployed in 2023.
MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said most job losses were expected to be in manufacturing and construction sectors.
He said unemployment would ultimately depend on the economic situation, particularly on how well small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up about 98% of Malaysian businesses, performed this year.
Chin said that when limited by financial resources, SMEs would usually make decisions based on cost-effectiveness. However, they may want to strike a balance between cost, performance and loyalty of their employees when deciding to downsize or otherwise.
Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta) chairman William Ng said it was essential for employees to adopt a life-long learning mindset as “what we know today may no longer be useful tomorrow”.
“New technology, such as ChatGPT and AI, is set to replace workers, from writers and researchers to designers and even sales people, on top of production workers and service staff,” he said.
The Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) said if an employee could produce or earn for the company more than his or her salary, then the company would likely not let him or her go.
“Productivity is what keeps the business generating revenue to pay their wages,” said its executive director, Shaun Cheah.
He, however, cautioned businesses against compromising on their sales force.
“When in a challenged economy, a business should not let go of sales staff as they are its means of survival. Without sales, the business stops.”
