Malaysia’s economic fundamentals have been strengthening, the ringgit is holding steady, inflation is cooling, and business sentiment is gradually improving. On paper, things look stable.

But on the ground, SMEs are telling a very different story: hiring has never been harder, wage expectations continue to rise, workers are demanding flexibility, and younger employees are increasingly pushing back against low pay, rigid structures, unclear progression, and burnout-inducing cultures.

This tension, between macroeconomic optimism and micro-level labour friction, is shaping a new workplace reality. Today, we explore what’s driving this shift, why employees feel more empowered, and what Malaysian SMEs need to rethink if they want to attract and retain talent in 2025 and beyond.

Joining this conversation is someone who follows Malaysia’s labour market closely: Dr Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education.

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Malaysia throws away vast amounts of edible and reusable food every day, but initiatives like MPAJ’s waste-diversion programme, which saved over RM100,000 by rerouting 2,400 tonnes of scraps, show there’s real economic value waiting to be unlocked. We speak with Anis Hanani Suffian, Co-Founder & CEO of ReMeal, to take a look at why food waste remains stubbornly high, what it would take to treat it as a business opportunity rather than an environmental headache, and how councils, SMEs, F&B operators, and households could all play a part in building a viable food-waste economy in Malaysia.

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CEOs in Malaysia are embracing AI but balancing courage with caution as they push for productivity, innovation, and measurable ROI.

Dickson Woo, Country General Manager and Technology Leader at IBM Malaysia, discusses the key takeaways from the IBM 2025 CEO Study and what they reveal about how Malaysian leaders are rethinking the future of work.

From calculated risk-taking to building AI-ready teams and bridging skills gaps, we explore how courage, data, and collaboration can help Malaysia’s workplaces turn technology into true performance.

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Corporate gifts and entertainment are essential for building goodwill, but they're also a notorious tax "grey area." Where does a non-taxable gift end and taxable income begin? And how can your business ensure its entertainment expenses are 100% deductible?

Tax expert SM Thanneermalai of Thannees Tax Consulting Services joins us to navigate these "grey areas." He explains the critical difference between a personal gift and a taxable business transaction, the rules for 50% vs. 100% deductions, and why meticulous documentation is your best defense in an audit.

We discuss:

• When a "gift" is (and is not) taxable income for the recipient.

• The "50% vs. 100%" rule for deducting entertainment expenses.

• How to claim a 100% deduction (e.g. staff entertainment, promotional items with logos).

• The tax implications of "grey areas" like large monetary gifts and nominees.

• The critical documentation businesses must keep to justify their claims.

For business owners and finance teams, this is an essential exploration into navigating the tax rules of gifts and entertainment, especially as tax authorities become more sophisticated.

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Malaysia's recently passed Gig Workers Bill aims to formalise the industry and provide social protections. But for platform operators, its "one-size-fits-all" approach, heavily based on e-hailing, poses a critical threat to the 70% of gig workers who are part-time and work in diverse sectors like care and logistics.

GoGet's Franchesca Chia and Kiddocare's Rahman Hussin join us to unpack the serious, on-the-ground flaws in the bill.  A critical look at the unintended consequences of well-meaning regulation.

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We’ve all Googled our way to an answer — searching, comparing, and digging through sources to learn something new. But that process is changing fast. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity can now summarise topics, provide instant insights, and even teach you new skills — all without leaving a chat window.

XP Ng, CEO of the Academy of Artificial Intelligence, talks about how AI-driven learning is reshaping the way we find and process information. They unpack what we gain — and lose — when algorithms think for us, how this shift could disrupt traditional search engines, and what it means for the future of curiosity, critical thinking, and digital literacy.

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Malaysia’s Ministry of Education has recently announced plans to introduce a co-teaching model by 2027, pairing two teachers in every classroom and weaving moral education into the weekly curriculum. The goal: more engaging lessons, stronger values, and future-ready graduates.

But can this approach deliver real change or will it strain an already stretched system?

Janice Chong, Co-Founder and Programme Director of Edvolution, shares what it will take for the co-teaching model to work: retraining teachers, preparing schools, and ensuring graduates emerge ready for the modern workplace.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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Malaysians aren't just online shoppers; they're among the world's most confident and frequent cross-border consumers. A new study by Airwallex and Statista found 94% of Malaysians are confident in buying from international merchants, and 72% do so at least once a month, far outpacing global averages.

Aren Yip, Malaysia Country Manager at Airwallex, joins us to unpack what's driving this borderless shopping culture. He discusses the outsized role of influencers, the critical importance of localised payments, and the ‘mental hurdles’ local SMEs must overcome to seize this massive international opportunity.

We discuss:

• Why Malaysians are more confident and frequent cross-border shoppers than the global average.

• The three drivers of this trend: global media, sales promotions, and trust.

• The outsized role of influencers, with 76% of Malaysians swayed by them.

• The critical importance of localised payments (like FPX and e-wallets) for conversion.

• The opportunities and ‘mental hurdles’ for Malaysian SMEs looking to export.

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Are you one of the 76% of Malaysian consumers thinking about switching car brands? A new report from Deloitte reveals a shift in the automotive market, with brand loyalty at a regional low as a flood of new players enters the scene.

Kevin Ohkohchi, Consumer Leader at Deloitte Malaysia, joins us to unpack the findings from their 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Survey. 

We discuss:

• Why 76% of Malaysians plan to switch brands for their next vehicle.

• The shift in preference back to hybrids over pure EVs.

• The top criteria for Malaysian buyers: performance over price.

• The key barriers to EV adoption: charging, time, and cost premiums.

• How the end of CBU tax exemptions will likely shift the market to local assembly (CKD).

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A recent broadcast error, where several regional leaders were misidentified on air, has sparked questions about how such mistakes happen in an era where automation and AI are increasingly woven into production workflows.

We don’t know whether technology played a role in that specific case, but it’s prompted a broader conversation: as organisations rely more on automation to handle information at speed, are we creating new risks when it comes to accuracy and accountability?

We discuss and explore this with technologist, writer, and host of Mattsplained, Matt Armitage from Kulturpop.

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