Why not a regulatory sandbox for SMEs?

WITH the digital tech revolution creating Manufacturing 4.0 with robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet-of-Things (IoT) and cloud, it is clear that in the medium-term, large industries in manufacturing or services will need to 'reinvent' themselves to survive.

In this decade-long restructuring, they will certainly not be able to create large scale jobs as in the past. All governments have understood this oncoming disruption - hence the sudden priority on the growing SME sector in each country.

Globally, the SME sector - both in services and manufacturing including startups, listed and unlisted companies, and the non-profit or social sector - will be the one to create bulk of jobs and, in the medium term, some even in the gig economy.