Asia Job Index Q4 2016 Reveals There is Cautious Hiring Amid Ongoing Economic Uncertainty

Malaysia, 27 March 2017: Robert Walters, the international recruitment consultancy, today publishes its Asia Job Index for Q4 2016 and reveals cautious hiring levels within Asia.

The Asia Job Index tracks job advertising volumes for professional positions across the leading job boards and national newspapers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Sally Raj, Managing Director, Robert Walters Malaysia comments:

“The slight rise in annual job advertisements was not surprising as professionals remained cautious about changing jobs due to challenging market conditions. Firms also slowed hiring at the end of the year as companies reviewed budgets and business plans for the following year. However, new jobs were generated as new market entrants continued to expand their operations in Malaysia. This was mainly thanks to the country’s low operating costs. A number of e-commerce startups, for example, created more job opportunities for IT experts such as software developers and those proficient in cyber-security. To overcome talent shortages in these areas, many employers focused on attracting Malaysians based overseas and we expect this demand for returning Malaysians to remain healthy through 2017.”

The key findings of the report are as follows:

MALAYSIA MARKET COMMENTARY

  • Driven by the ease of doing business in Malaysia, global firms continued to set up their regional and global purchasing hubs in the country. This helped to boost the number of jobs in the merchandising and purchasing sector by 35%.
  • As more business moved to online or mobile platforms, there was a rise in demand for IT experts proficient in running back office digital infrastructure or those with niche technology skills such as user experience designers.
  • Vacancies for human resources professionals dipped by 34% in the fourth quarter of 2016, as more companies employed direct approaches (headhunting, networking and talent referrals) rather than job advertisements to find niche talent for their in-house human resources teams. Many organisations also focused on building in-house talent acquisition teams instead of hiring externally.

Please click here to download Asia Job Index Q4 2016.

Author: Terry KS

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