The Acceptance and Readiness of Micro-credentials and its Barriers in the Tech-related Job Market in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an acceleration unlike any other in terms of digital and technological acceleration for the entire world and also within Malaysia. The sudden and rapid need for organisations as well as businesses to shift their day-to-day operations online has changed the way people are working everywhere. And what that means is now more than ever, there is a huge increase in demand for a workforce that is ready and can pioneer this new age of rising technological needs in conjunction with the government's aim of heading towards Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0). Micro-credential (MC) has grown in popularity in recent years and have been labelled as a new disruptor to lifelong learning and higher learning. The Malaysian workforce and job seekers now have more options in their reskilling and upskilling efforts as they seek to remain relevant in the present-day job market which has shifted towards a digital transformation. An extensive study is proposed to be done to explore the current status quo of MC in Malaysia from the viewpoint of the hiring parties in the tech-related job markets as well as how MC will be able to play a part in the continuous growth of the tech and digital ecosystem in Malaysia. © 2023 IEEE.