PUTRAJAYA: Civil servants, especially women, should be more proactive to equip themselves with relevant knowledge and skills to face the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), says Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Rosmah, who is the wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said the concept of service delivery will become even more complex with the advancement in technology, demanding civil servants to formulate new strategies.
Rosmah, who is also the patron of the National Association of Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants (Puspanita), said among the preparations which need to be given focus are upskilling and reskilling.
"There will be many jobs in the future which will be taken over by automation, so we have to make sure that current human resources and career development remain relevant.
"In addition, the ‘Internet of Things’ or IOT, data and analytics knowledge, cyber security and preparedness of workers in accepting and managing the changes, must also be given importance by employers in order to formulate human capital development strategy plans," she said in her speech at the opening of the 36th Puspanita delegates general meeting today.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa and Puspanita president Puan Sri Rohani Abdullah.
Rosmah said female civil servants should nevertheless not be apprehensive of Industry 4.0 as machines can never fully replace the role of humans.
"However, as preparation, I believe Puspanita is able to play an efficient role and act as a game-changer in designing more programmes to help female civil servants to face the wave of change," she added.
Meanwhile Rosmah said that under the 2018 Budget, the government had further strengthened support for women with various incentive allocations and facilities packages, especially for career women.
"Compared to other developing countries, the achievement of women in Malaysia is much better and it is something to be proud of.
"Whatever we have achieved today is because of the current government which constantly supports all efforts to uplift women in every aspect of development," she added.