While the Covid-19 outbreak that led to the movement control order (MCO) being enforced, many employers all over the world are forced to change the way they work and manage their teams. Face-to-face tasks are reinvented to suit remote working in a digital space, creating a demand for remote work positions.
According to a statement by LinkedIn, as of May 2020, some of the top remote roles in Malaysia includes customer support representatives, data entry specialist, administrative assistant, inside sales representative as well as recruiters.
Apart from that, a report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) that studied trends in the labour market for the second quarter of the year (2Q20), revealed many non-essential industries opted to work remotely to maintain productivity.
Additionally, there was an increase of demand for business and organisations to adopt various technological approaches in order to sustain their operations.
In separate report by Khazanah Research Institute, it showed that remote working positions are also becoming more prevalent among highly-paid sectors, such as information and communication, mining and quarrying, professional, scientific and technical, as well as administrative and support services.
Considering all the changes that the Covid-19 outbreak has brought to the working space, the most prevalent is the accelerated adoption of remote working and the trend seems to be staying.
From a recent survey by KPMG Malaysia conducted in May 2020, it was found that 56% of business owners support remote working post-MCO and that 69% of the respondents agree that remote working should continue even after the MCO period ends.
However, working remotely does have its own challenges. According to a study by Aon, some of the biggest challenges that both employers and employees face while working remotely are technology-related issues.
These include internet speed and access to company’s internal systems, reduced access to resources, delays in response time and decision-making, as well as ineffective virtual discussions or meetings.
“During Covid-19, (working professionals) had to work across a digital space. Aside from picking up digital skills like learning to use video conferencing software, professionals also had to learn how to communicate and collaborate through this space,” LinkedIn Asia Pacific vice president of talent and learning solutions Feon Ang said in an exclusive email interview with FocusM.
To help these businesses and professionals equip themselves with new skills to prepare themselves for the future, Ang pointed out that LinkedIn is ready to provide its resources and tools for those who are turning to online learning.
For example, a LinkedIn Economic Graph identified some of the top trending skills as of June 2020, which includes project management, JavaScript, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD and sales management.
These skills tie in with the top in-demand management jobs in Malaysia (as of June 2020), namely software engineer, marketing executive, project manager, business development executive and project engineer.
From the email interview, Ang said that the number of people using LinkedIn to learn soft skills doubled in the past year, growing at an even faster rate than those learning hard skills.
“Professionals must learn to adapt and pick up both digital and soft skills, as we move forward into the future economy,” she added.
Meanwhile, non-essential industries such as e-commerce, information and communication and even the education sector are rapidly evolving too incorporate remote working in their operations.
As a result, more organisations are beginning to see the benefits of remote working, as it offers enhanced productivity, lowers overhead costs and expands the talent pool.
“Today, remote working is increasingly an expectation in a multi-generational workforce. In fact, a global survey showed that 45% of senior leaders say they’re considering a more permanent shift to virtual events or conferences and 44% say they’re evaluating more permanent remote work policies. This may indicate that it is here to stay,” Ang said.
“Covid-19 has ushered in a new era – a working environment that’s heavily reliant on technology. Looking forward from here, we will be seeing a workforce that values professionals who have more diverse skills, both in the area of digital skills and soft skills,” she added. – Sept 30, 2020
