Generation Alpha will probably be at ease with AI tools. Biruntha Mooruthi, Group CEO of TalentCorp, the Human Resources Ministry’s talent retention agency, says ease is not what will count at work. Critical thinking, judging information and using technology responsibly will.
The numbers already point that way. The World Economic Forum estimates that 39% of workers’ core skills will change by 2030. A TalentCorp study on AI, digitalisation and the green economy found that about 3.2 million workers in Malaysia, spread over 22 sectors, are expected to be affected, and around 697,000 of them are likely to be highly affected. It also named 120 emerging roles that are growing in importance.
“Gen Alpha is likely to experience multiple career transitions as technologies, industries and job roles continue to evolve,” Biruntha says. She expects employers to keep prizing what AI cannot easily copy: communication, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence. Employers increasingly want people who work with technology instead of against it. Most workers will not have to become AI experts, she says, but they will need AI literacy.
Young people also care about flexibility, personal growth, wellbeing and purpose, and she expects that to continue. Employers will have to build workplaces that support continuous learning “if they want to attract and retain talent.”
Fluent is not the same as critical
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Helmi Norman of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, who researches digital and futuristic education, has watched Gen Alpha learners move easily between classrooms, digital platforms, AI tools, video, games and social learning spaces. They will likely expect similar fluidity at work, he says.
His concern is the widening gap between digital fluency and critical thinking as generative AI spreads. “Many young people can use digital tools confidently, but this does not necessarily mean they can evaluate information, question AI-generated output, recognise bias, protect privacy, or make ethical decisions,” he says. The real question, he adds, is whether students can use AI “responsibly, critically, and creatively.”
Gen Alpha should arrive in larger numbers in the early-to-mid 2030s. Malaysian organisations will by then be multigenerational, and younger staff are expected to have more say. As digital natives, they will likely want quicker, more adaptive feedback than traditional structures give. Muhammad Helmi points to continuous, data-informed feedback systems, plus skills-based hiring, micro-credentials and project-based work alongside degrees. Hierarchies may need to become more participatory. He cautions against treating Gen Alpha as a “problem” for employers to manage: “What is different now is the speed of change.”
Who gets left behind
Gen Alpha is not uniform, Muhammad Helmi notes. Some members have strong access to devices, broadband and AI tools. Others do not. For B40 (lower income) communities, rural schools and underserved learners, the problem goes past access to quality digital teaching, guidance, language support and chances to create with technology. “If Malaysia does not address the quality of digital learning, the future workforce may inherit deeper inequalities,” he says.
He credits national initiatives such as MyDigital, the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, the National AI Office and AI Untuk Rakyat with progress, but says coordination across policy, education and industry is still needed.
What TalentCorp is doing
Higher education institutions and TVET providers will need closer ties with industry, Biruntha says, with curricula matched to labour market needs and more workplace exposure. Policymakers will need to line up education, skills development and workforce planning using labour market data. TalentCorp has launched classroom-to-career initiatives including MyNext and YES! Rock The School, the digital upskilling programme Jelajah AI MyMahir, and the Malaysia Critical Occupations List (MyCOL), which tracks changing skills demand.
“The future of work will not only be about whether Gen Alpha can adapt to existing institutions,” Muhammad Helmi says. “It will also be about whether our institutions can adapt to them.”
