Host: Angela M. Kuga Thas
Featuring Guest Speakers: Rachel Gong and Siti Aiysyah Tumin, Researchers from Khazanah Research Institute
Year by year, we have seen an increased need to jump onto the digital economy bandwagon in order for businesses to survive and for people to continue their bread and butter lives. This is shown beyond doubt during the pandemic where many businesses were forced to shut down or significantly curtail their operations. The majority of businesses that transitioned to online platforms such as food vendors that provide online delivery services were able to survive by the skin of their teeth. But is the digital economy all good?
Have online giants such as Grab and Facebook irrevocably made changes to our economy and job market in ways that benefit the richest 10%? Do crowd workers get to reap the same benefits they sow? What about the communities that do not have access to the same information and opportunities? What impacts would the digital economy have on labour, the constant widening of our country’s wealth inequality and how can the State do better in ensuring the livelihoods of everyone will be protected?
In the second part of our conversation on ‘Future of Work’, we dive deeper into the world of the digital economy and question the lasting impacts it would have on the people’s livelihoods, the country’s economic structures, the welfare of labour, and so on.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
These are the personal opinions of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views of their organizations or institutions.