Coursera, a global online learning platform, released its recent annual Global Skills Report, revealing a 183 percent year-over-year increase in Generative AI (GenAI) enrollments in Malaysia, outpacing the Asia Pacific average of 132 percent.

The findings highlight Malaysia’s accelerating efforts to strengthen its digital capabilities and prepare its workforce for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven transformation, the firm said in a statement.

Based on insights from Coursera’s global community of over 170 million learners, the report tracks emerging skill trends across more than 100 countries.

Now in its seventh year, the 2025 edition ranks Malaysia 50th globally for overall skills proficiency and 14th in Asia Pacific.

Malaysian learners demonstrate 57 percent proficiency in business, 55 percent in technology, and 53 percent in data science.

In Coursera’s newly-introduced AI Maturity Index, the country ranks 31st, signaling globally-competitive levels of AI learning and institutional adoption.

This progress aligns with Malaysia’s national digital strategies, including the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint, which aims to future-proof the workforce and drive technology-led growth.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, 41 percent of Malaysian businesses anticipate the core skills to change between now and 2030, above the global average of 39 percent.

Employers are also optimistic – 59 percent plan to expand their teams in 2025, especially in cybersecurity, fintech, and digital services.

Coursera’s data reflects this demand, with a sharp rise in enrollments in courses that equip learners with skills that employers are prioritizing: AI and machine learning (ML) rose by 152 percent, Critical Thinking by 38 percent, Customer Service by 22 percent and Curiosity by 18 percent – reflecting Malaysia’s rapid shift toward an economy characterized by AI readiness and key business and human skills.

“Malaysia is laying the foundation for a digitally confident workforce,

“AI is a clear priority for employers, and learners are stepping up by acquiring GenAI skills to stay ahead,” said Eklavya Bhave, Head of Asia Pacific, Coursera.

“From AI strategies to forward-thinking education policies, we’re seeing a strong national commitment to equipping Malaysians with the right mix of technical, business and human skills,

“Coursera is proud to support this transformation by partnering across education, industry, and government to build an inclusive, job-ready talent pipeline,” he added.

The findings showed Malaysia is embracing GenAI skills rapidly but participation gaps remain: GenAI enrollments grew 183 percent year on year, yet women make up only 31% of these learners – despite representing 46 percent of Coursera’s overall learner base in the country.

The findings also showed demand for job-ready credentials continues to rise.

Professional Certificate enrollments grew 31 percent year on year, highlighting strong learner interest in outcome-based programs.

While overall uptake is high, women currently account for 29 percent of these enrollments, pointing to an opportunity for more inclusive participation.

The findings also showed learners are developing core operational excellence skills.

Top learner skills include management accounting, process analysis, compliance, and marketing psychology, pointing to a growing interest in strategic, cross-functional capabilities.

According to the findings, leadership and people management are top priorities.

Malaysian learners are increasingly focused on skills like talent management, organizational development, and employee performance, highlighting strong demand for leaders who can manage teams, drive transformation, and support workforce growth in a changing economy.

With 900,000 learners on Coursera and a median age of 33, Malaysia is steadily expanding its digital talent pool, said the report.

Yet closing skill gaps remains a pressing challenge as 35 percent of Malaysian Chief Executive Officers cite a lack of workers with key skills as their top concern, and an equal share of employers (35 percent) now prioritize candidates with short courses and certifications – more than double the global average.

This underscores the growing value of flexible, job-relevant learning.

Bridging these gaps will require coordinated national efforts, including expanding public-private partnerships, integrating micro-credentials into higher education, and scaling online learning access.

Increasing women’s participation in emerging technology fields will also be critical – not just to achieve gender equality, but to also unlock the full potential of Malaysia’s digital economy, said the report.

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