KUALA LUMPUR: More needs to be done to further accelerate technological adoption among firms to enhance productivity, said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) secretary general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali.

He said technological adoption requires more high-skilled talent to be in the labour market.

"Therefore, the appropriate policy response is to encourage and support the upskilling and reskilling of the current workforce.

"We need to ensure that these workers are equipped with skills to complement new technologies rather than be replaced by them," he said at the virtual launch of the MyReskill IoT Programme today.

Lokman said the establishment of the MyReskill IoT Programme by Malaysia Productivity Corporation is vital to help existing workers remain relevant in the labour market and boost productivity at enterprise, sectoral and national levels.

"This is also an opportunity to transform Malaysia into a digitally enabled and productivity-driven high-income nation.

"Leveraging technological advances is expected to contribute to 30 per cent uplift in productivity across all sectors," he added.

Therefore, he said, it is crucial for the government to design and implement effective policy interventions to support this transformation.

"The introduction of Industry4WRD policy by MITI, complemented by the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital) and National Policy on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is expected to catalyse economic recovery through higher application and adoption of digital technology," he said.

-- BERNAMA