Exploring barriers and pathways towards Sarawak 2030 skills condition: A causal layered analysis

Abstract

Sarawak aspires to become a developed state in Malaysia by 2030. The Sarawak Digital Economy blueprint calls for the public sector to steer and facilitate a digital transformation to the industry, communities, and other stakeholders. Considering the infrastructures and technology that assent, it signifies the crucial need for the public sector to be equipped with the fitting skills and people strategies to effectively embark on this 2030 vision. Such skills condition needs to be addressed by relevant policy actors. Challenges to the condition pose in many layers (i.e., Litany, Systemic, Worldview, Metaphor). This paper seeks to explore the viewpoints of seven policy enablers on the barriers and pathways pertaining to the skills condition in the public sector for Sarawak 2030. Using Inayatullah’s Causal Layered Analysis, the paper reveals the short-term vs long-term challenges and solutions to those conditions. Results suggest the urgent need for planning and a reconnection among public sector to improve the current skills condition. Findings are further discussed with a transformed future as a guiding description for Sarawak 2030. This paper contributes to understanding a condition within a context, towards conscious policymaking via futures study method. The study's scope and future directions are also discussed.