Malaysia – Online hiring expected to slow down in 2017

By memberservices@staffingindustry.com (Danny Romero)

Online recruitment in Malaysia fell by 5% in December and is expected to continue to slow down in 2017, according to the latest Monster Employment Index.

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly measure of online job posting activity in the country, recording the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity.

Last January, Malaysia saw a decline of 27% in overall hiring activity when compared to the previous year with the country recording consecutive monthly declines with the biggest drop in February at 39%, year-on-year.

“Overall online recruitment has slowed down in Malaysia in recent months and this is likely to remain this way in the first half of 2017. Much of this is driven by external factors, such as the global economic uncertainties and the influence of the declining oil industry, as well as the weak ringgit values, which undoubtedly have an effect on the local labour market over time,” Sanjay Modi, managing director of Monster.com (APAC and Middle East), said.

“But 2017 isn’t all doom and gloom,” Modi said. “The latest MEI figures in December and November have showed a slowdown in the pace of decline across the board, which indicates slight positive hiring sentiments. This is likely to be true in sectors such as technology, where the government will be focusing more on this year, putting in place tech-friendly policies and measures to ensure sufficient opportunities in this space. Malaysian businesses are also expecting to increase salary, revenue, export and employment in 2017.”

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