The COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous damage to the economy, including the economy of Malaysia. Other countries also collapsed, lost international trade, and sometimes canceled already-concluded supply agreements. The consequences of the pandemic, of course, will manifest themselves in every country, be it a civilized state, a political and economic giant, or a poor agrarian state. The time for recovery is coming, and companies are formulating and presenting new requirements for workers and re-prioritizing. Currently, managers who ignore the concepts of hygiene, health, and deterioration have no chance of surviving the competition. The Malaysian economy is strongly linked to labor and human resources, as the low percentage of information technology generates GDP. Lockdown and the rules of distancing, working from home have all had a noticeable impact on the labor market, the economy, and society as a whole. Malaysia is rebuilding the labor market under the new conditions created by COVID-19. New requirements for employees and the experience of lockdowns in the past are fundamentally restructuring the system of hiring employees.
To begin with, readers and investigators should briefly understand what is remarkable about the labor market in Malaysia. Rahman et al., (2020), show that “More than half of jobs in Malaysia are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, particularly if strict mobility restrictions are reinstated” (p. 17). Malaysia was unable to adapt to the lockdown quickly but made severe attempts. For a long time, half of the vacancies in the labor market in Malaysia have been associated with close physical contact and communication (Hirschmann, 2021). The Malaysians themselves were not adapted to the lockdown, and the state found no substitute for their daily employment.
The government of Malaysia, having at its disposal a kind of economic system based on a workforce of many people, made several decisions during the lockdown. On several occasions, the government has regulated mobility rules for citizens. Researchers most often point to establishing the CMCO (Conditional Moving Control Order), which contradicted the usual economic structure (Yeoh & Wen, 2020). The measures taken harmed or even destroyed the regular circulation of society in the urban space. CMCO has allowed Malaysia to develop machine power in some factories in opposition to manual labor and management. Currently, the government and many private enterprises engaged in the service sector, the food industry, are doing various works to restore the economy and working environment (Shannon & Carlson, 2021). Lockdown in Malaysia launched the process of mechanization of production, bringing many companies the beginnings and prospects for the development of information technology and artificial intelligence. In the future, these technologies may be able to find daily applications, which will directly impact the country’s economy as a whole.
Vaccination is a universal innovation for workers wishing to return to production or offices. It is a ubiquitous innovation as it has spread to all countries globally, except for countries where vaccines are not available or where the government has a dissenting position. Malaysian society is permeated with a lack of understanding of the need for a vaccine; therefore, the government considered the possibility of introducing compulsory vaccination. Workers sometimes refused vaccinations “Mainly due to misconception about COVID-19 vaccines they received from the Internet or any mass media without boundaries” (Rosely, 2021, para 1). Other countries record an active fight against vaccinations in the legal field. COVID-19 dissenters, anti-vaccines, or people not allowed to be vaccinated by religious beliefs successfully sue their employers (Rothstein et al., 2021). Coercion is unacceptable, but the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique case never seen before. The legal field is not yet used to instances of this kind and their influx. The issue of trust in vaccines is complicated, and the point of faith in a particular vaccine, which, unfortunately, is often connected with politics, not with human health and safety.
Malaysia has been coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and has been recovering up to this point with its economy. Yong notes that “Malaysia has experienced some degrees of success and failure in the national effort of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic” (Yong & Sia, 2021, p. 9). Now this country has updated requirements for workers and working conditions. Vaccination studies in Malaysia are ongoing, and public opinion measurements are taking place. Malaysia is unlikely to adopt the experience of other countries in litigation, but this country has a high level of religious population, which may be against total vaccination.
COVID-19 has overhauled the recruitment system in Malaysia and the overall labor market. Lockdown has had a significant impact on average urban circulation. The citizens of Malaysia were faced with a situation where the state could not offer them a surrogate for work, as more than half of jobs in Malaysia alone cannot go into telecommuting. Most of the vacancies are related to close physical contact, physical labor, and communication. One solution to rebuilding the economy and working space was total vaccination. It was recommended primarily for those who want to return to their previous job without retraining. Malaysian society tends to be guided by information read on the Internet, so Malaysians are often ignorant. Malaysia is an example of a country that has taken many measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic with inappropriate and difficult-to-use tools.
References
Hirschmann, R. (2021). People avoiding going to work during COVID-19 outbreak Malaysia 2020–2021. Web.
Rahman, A. A., Jasmin, A. F., Schmillen, A. (2020). The vulnerability of jobs to COVID-19: The case of Malaysia. Yusof Ishak Institute, 2020-09, 1-19.
Rosely, S. (2021). Compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for employees in Malayasia? Tay Partners – Under Development. Web.
Rothstein, M. A., Parmet, W. E., & Reiss, D. R. (2021). Employer-mandated vaccination for COVID-19. American Journal of Public Health, 111(6), 1061–1064. Web.
Shannon, J., & Carlson, I. (2021). Creating economic recovery and growth after COVID-19. PwC. Web.
Yeoh, L., & Wen, P. J. (2020). Post Covid-19: Are we ready for our workforce new normal? Lexology. Web.
Yong, S. S., & Sia, J. K. M. (2021). COVID-19 and social wellbeing in Malaysia: A case study. Current Psychology. Web.