More than half (63 percent) of employees in Malaysia anticipate that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) will improve their way of working flexibly, exceeding the global average of 48 percent, EY said Friday.
According to the EY 2023 Work Reimagined Survey, 70 percent (global 49 percent) of them noted that they are either currently using or planning to use GenAI in the next 12 months.
While GenAI potential is still being realized, there is growing momentum and a generally positive outlook on how the technology will impact new ways of working.
Malaysian employers, too, mirror these sentiments, with 84 percent (global 67 percent) expecting GenAI to enhance working flexibly with 96 percent (global 84 percent) either currently using or planning to use the technology within the next year.
However, despite both employees and employers ranking learning and skills as the number one factor to ensure employees thrive in new ways of working, only 22 percent of Malaysia employers (global 22 percent) plan to provide training on GenAI-related skills.
“It is encouraging to witness the increasing awareness among Malaysian employees and employers on the potential benefits of using GenAI in the workplace,” said Low Choy Huat, EY Asean People Advisory Services Leader and Partner, Ernst & Young Consulting Sdn Bhd.
“While there is an intention among employers to incorporate GenAI in the near future, there is a substantial gap in upskilling and reskilling the workforce in the technology,
“It is imperative to accelerate the training of essential skills to build Gen AI capabilities, while fostering the ethical and responsible use of it in the workforce,” he said.
The EY 2023 Work Reimagined Survey, fourth in the series, canvassed the views of 17,050 employees and 1,575 employers across 22 countries and 25 industry sectors globally. These include 250 employees and 50 employers from Malaysia.