Getting IT right
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector has been regarded as an important sector in the Malaysian economy over the last few decades. In fact, it has been listed as one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) that was mentioned in the Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP). In 2009, the ICT sector contributed to 9.8% of Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and this figure is expected to increase to become 10.2% by the year 2015. For this year alone, it is predicted that the industry will experience a growth rate of 15% due to an improved economic climate. These are all clear indications that ICT development remains as one of the main priorities for the nation in the year 2010.
The prospects for the ICT sector in Malaysia are good, and C.J. Ang, the President of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry (PIKOM) expressed that there is a positive outlook for this industry for this year. Muhammad Imran Kunalan Abdullah, General Manager of K-Workers Development at the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC), states there are presently many ICT job opportunities available and the demand for labour with relevant technical skills and experience has been growing steadily.
However, the ICT sector still lacks sufficient human resources in most areas of specialisation. According to Andrew Milroy, ICT director at Frost & Sullivan, this is due to society’s general perception about ICT careers. Many do not regard such jobs as being interesting and consequently, job seekers may opt to do something that perhaps does not pay as well, but is seen as more fun. Further accentuating the severity of this problem is the fact that ICT related courses are not a popular choice amongst students at a tertiary level, thus widening the gap in ICT talent even further. In order to address this acute need for ICT professionals within Malaysia, the nation’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, says the government has decided to approve as many as 1,000 work permits annually to allow qualified foreign ICT graduates from local universities to work in the country.
Therefore, for anyone who desires to work in Malaysia and possesses ICT skills and/or relevant working experience, this is good news indeed. In particular, if you are well versed in Web technologies, mobile content development or Internet related services, the future is certainly a bright one for you. For those who are competent in programming languages such as C, C++, Java, PHP or other similar technologies, you can expect to see a 3% increase in the minimum as well as maximum salary figures that you could possibly earn from your work.
According to the Malaysian Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2009/2010 by Kelly Services, currently popular ICT jobs include positions such as Help Desk Analyst, Software Engineer, Channel Sales Specialist and Unix Specialist. The expected salary range for such professions typically lies between RM2500 and 4500.
As ICT usage is increasing in all industries and businesses across the nation, there are numerous possibilities for where job opportunities can be found. Although the typical option of working in software houses or other types of companies which focus solely on ICT still exists, the reality is that there are no limits today on which industry ICT workers can choose to delve into.
Some common areas where ICT labour is often needed is found in the aviation, travel and financial sector. This is because of the increase of online applications in such businesses over recent years. In fact, e-commerce business models have become more and more popular in this time and age, and any enterprise that adopts such a model would surely have need for ICT professionals, regardless of which sector the firm operates in. In fact, e-commerce is projected to contribute a hefty RM92.7 billion to the nation’s income this year, a 32% increase as compared to the previous year.
Software development isn’t the only area with great career potential; for those who are well versed with the hardware side of things, there are plenty of openings available for you to explore also. In line with the growing trend towards using online and mobile devices both on a personal as well as corporate level, the demand for expertise in broadband and high speed broadband (HSBB) infrastructure and networking will be greater than ever before. In correspondence to these technological advances, issues of information security in both a physical as well as virtual sense would arise, thus career prospects are excellent for experts in this field. As stated by Maggie Tan, Associate Research Director at IDC Malaysia, “information is the most precious thing” to a business and organisations would be keen to do all in their power to safeguard this invaluable asset of theirs.
Other areas of interest for those in the ICT sector would be the potential of cloud computing applications within the Malaysian market. Although the brunt of the previous economic slowdown is slowly wearing off, most companies are still cautious about their budgets and spending, especially when it comes to technology related costs. Therefore, the option of online software which is readily available at a substantially lower cost than those which are purchased or developed in-house is very appealing. Microsoft supports this view as well, and has in fact regarded this area of ICT as one of utmost importance for the Malaysian market in 2010. Hence, opting to take up ICT jobs which support such technology would be highly recommended.
Creative multimedia is another branch of ICT that has currently gotten the attention of the Malaysian government. Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, the Chief Executive Officer of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), says that there have been plans to groom Malaysia to become a hub for animation, filmmaking and games within the region. Hence, skills in digital animation, video editing and electronic entertainment would be highly valued in the nation at this time.
On the whole, it can be said that the outlook for the ICT sector in Malaysia is encouraging, and job seekers can look forward to good career prospects within the industry.
The prospects for the ICT sector in Malaysia are good, and C.J. Ang, the President of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry (PIKOM) expressed that there is a positive outlook for this industry for this year. Muhammad Imran Kunalan Abdullah, General Manager of K-Workers Development at the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC), states there are presently many ICT job opportunities available and the demand for labour with relevant technical skills and experience has been growing steadily.
However, the ICT sector still lacks sufficient human resources in most areas of specialisation. According to Andrew Milroy, ICT director at Frost & Sullivan, this is due to society’s general perception about ICT careers. Many do not regard such jobs as being interesting and consequently, job seekers may opt to do something that perhaps does not pay as well, but is seen as more fun. Further accentuating the severity of this problem is the fact that ICT related courses are not a popular choice amongst students at a tertiary level, thus widening the gap in ICT talent even further. In order to address this acute need for ICT professionals within Malaysia, the nation’s Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, says the government has decided to approve as many as 1,000 work permits annually to allow qualified foreign ICT graduates from local universities to work in the country.
Therefore, for anyone who desires to work in Malaysia and possesses ICT skills and/or relevant working experience, this is good news indeed. In particular, if you are well versed in Web technologies, mobile content development or Internet related services, the future is certainly a bright one for you. For those who are competent in programming languages such as C, C++, Java, PHP or other similar technologies, you can expect to see a 3% increase in the minimum as well as maximum salary figures that you could possibly earn from your work.
According to the Malaysian Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2009/2010 by Kelly Services, currently popular ICT jobs include positions such as Help Desk Analyst, Software Engineer, Channel Sales Specialist and Unix Specialist. The expected salary range for such professions typically lies between RM2500 and 4500.
As ICT usage is increasing in all industries and businesses across the nation, there are numerous possibilities for where job opportunities can be found. Although the typical option of working in software houses or other types of companies which focus solely on ICT still exists, the reality is that there are no limits today on which industry ICT workers can choose to delve into.
Some common areas where ICT labour is often needed is found in the aviation, travel and financial sector. This is because of the increase of online applications in such businesses over recent years. In fact, e-commerce business models have become more and more popular in this time and age, and any enterprise that adopts such a model would surely have need for ICT professionals, regardless of which sector the firm operates in. In fact, e-commerce is projected to contribute a hefty RM92.7 billion to the nation’s income this year, a 32% increase as compared to the previous year.
Software development isn’t the only area with great career potential; for those who are well versed with the hardware side of things, there are plenty of openings available for you to explore also. In line with the growing trend towards using online and mobile devices both on a personal as well as corporate level, the demand for expertise in broadband and high speed broadband (HSBB) infrastructure and networking will be greater than ever before. In correspondence to these technological advances, issues of information security in both a physical as well as virtual sense would arise, thus career prospects are excellent for experts in this field. As stated by Maggie Tan, Associate Research Director at IDC Malaysia, “information is the most precious thing” to a business and organisations would be keen to do all in their power to safeguard this invaluable asset of theirs.
Other areas of interest for those in the ICT sector would be the potential of cloud computing applications within the Malaysian market. Although the brunt of the previous economic slowdown is slowly wearing off, most companies are still cautious about their budgets and spending, especially when it comes to technology related costs. Therefore, the option of online software which is readily available at a substantially lower cost than those which are purchased or developed in-house is very appealing. Microsoft supports this view as well, and has in fact regarded this area of ICT as one of utmost importance for the Malaysian market in 2010. Hence, opting to take up ICT jobs which support such technology would be highly recommended.
Creative multimedia is another branch of ICT that has currently gotten the attention of the Malaysian government. Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, the Chief Executive Officer of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), says that there have been plans to groom Malaysia to become a hub for animation, filmmaking and games within the region. Hence, skills in digital animation, video editing and electronic entertainment would be highly valued in the nation at this time.
On the whole, it can be said that the outlook for the ICT sector in Malaysia is encouraging, and job seekers can look forward to good career prospects within the industry.
0 comments:
Post a Comment