The 2020/2021 Malaysia Salary Guide released by staffing specialists Kelly Services called these roles “new collar” jobs, due to their recent emergence to keep up with increased reliance on technological services.

Brian Sim, managing director of Kelly Services Malaysia, said that because businesses had begun to embrace the use of technology both in improving internal systems and reaching new customers, the creation of jobs was a natural development.

“This transformation is a permanent change and one that has fast-tracked our nation’s journey towards Industrial Revolution 4.0,” Sim said in a statement.

“Heading into 2021, digital skills will be fundamental to the employability of job seekers and will be a vital ingredient to the career progression of those who are already employed.”

The IT sector is expected to boom as more companies employ technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and will need skilled workers who understand how to use these tools.

Software developers, software engineers and programmers are the specific jobs the group recommends jobseekers to be on the lookout for.

Due to the increased use of e-commerce brought about by movement restrictions, Kelly Services also expects digital sales and marketing to be areas employers will be looking to expand.

“The workforce must adapt to the many technological changes and keep themselves up to date in order to stay competitive in the job market,” said Sim, reminding job seekers to continue developing their skills as well as learn new ones.