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An often overlooked but huge, new possibility for the digital ministry will be to promote the sharing economy which is at the heart of market-driven digital disruption in the way people work and do business

Experts predict that Malaysia will buck the trend of mass lay-offs currently seen in the US where more than 70,000 have been discharged in a wave led by tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Spotify and IBM amid concerns over a global economic downturn.

Speaking to MalaysiaNow, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) acknowledged that 2023 would be a challenging year for Malaysia as well.

However, MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the number of employees losing their jobs had been on a downtrend since 2020.

MakeTimePay is a web and mobile app-based ‘on-demand work’ ecosystem that is designed to help job seekers and posters find on-demand tasks and opportunities that are matched to their skills, interests and free time.

The launch of the new payment methods enables convenience in conducting payment transactions.

Malaysian start-up, MakeTimePay, has secured significant investment from Dutch serial-entrepreneur and early stage start-up investor, Simon Landsheer.  The new funding will be used to grow the company's team, expand its platform capabilities and make investments in customer acquisition.

Malaysian recruitment start-up MakeTimePay has secured an undisclosed amount of investment funding from entrepreneur Simon Landsheer, who is the managing partner at Singapore-based venture capital firm Impiro.

The pandemic has seen an influx of professionals working in the ride-hailing and delivery sectors, as companies downsize to survive the pandemic. These professionals range from certified accountants and engineers to retirees from government agencies.

WHEN 40-something Stefanie (not her real name) lost her job in hospitality after her company was forced to close down in 2015, she was told to reskill to improve her employability. A few months later, armed with a whole new skill set as a coder, she found herself up against many young graduates for the same job.

While Stefanie and the other young applicants have little to no prior experience in a new industry, she failed to secure any kind of job owing to her age.

As the unemployment rate goes up with very little chance of finding stable employment, at least during this pandemic period, a need has risen for a new "disruptive" opportunity for people who have lost their jobs.

Seeing this worrying situation, re-employment industry veteran Shahryn Azmi, together with his business partners, has initiated a noble effort to help those who lost their source of income by creating a portal that connects them with companies or people who need their expertise on a temporary or "gig" basis.

Most of the time, the term “gig worker” conjures up visions of food delivery riders, couriers, and other positions that do not require an extensive resume.

But as the Covid-19 crisis continues spawning other crises of financial and economic nature, more and more professionals who are both qualified and skilled are turning to short-term, contract work in their own fields.

Sookie Ng, a writer in the creative industry who is currently working with a publishing firm in Kuala Lumpur, was holding a steady job but wanted to do other work on the side.