The drive to learn and upskill amongst Malaysia’s professionals, as well as their inherent confidence in their skills, has been a continuing trend that has likely been cemented by the pandemic, says a new report by leading recruitment experts Hays.

The report titled Uncovering the DNA of the Future Workplace in Asia surveyed over 9,000 working professionals across Asia firstly in February 2020 and then later in the year from between September – October. It found that the overwhelming majority of respondents in Malaysia regard upskilling as very important, particularly in the areas of digital and remote-working related skills.

Digital skills most desired

According to the report, 94 per cent of respondents in Malaysia said that upskilling was important/very important to them, the highest such score in the region alongside China (94 per cent). 64 per cent also believed that increased training and development opportunities would contribute to their organisations becoming more ‘future-ready’.

At the same time, Malaysia consistently emerged as having the greatest number of respondents in the region who believed their current skillsets would still be relevant in the next 2-3 years (42 per cent), including their hard skills (81 per cent). However, the majority also said they thought their soft skills could improve (72 per cent) which is also the highest such score in the region. When asked which upskilling/development opportunities had become important to them after the COVID-19 outbreak,  respondents prioritised digital skills development (89 per cent), reskilling (83 per cent) and e-learning opportunities (78 per cent), alongside training in remote leadership (73 per cent) and remote orientation (69 per cent)

Employers must bridge the skills gap

The rise in importance of digital skills development and reskilling is a region-wide trend that is likely rooted in the ongoing uncertainty. However, the rise of importance in e-learning, remote leadership and remote orientation is well in line with the rising importance of remote and flexible working options in Malaysia. While half of employers in Malaysia currently offer avenues for e-learning (50 per cent), less offer avenues for digital skills development (29 per cent), reskilling (24 per cent), remote orientation (28 per cent) and remote leadership training (16 per cent), indicating a lag in the remote mindset of employees vs employers.

Tom Osborne, Managing Director for Hays Malaysia commented, “In the new era of work, companies may have transitioned enough to survive uncertainty, but a workplace of the future will will need to go beyond this to stay relevant in the times to come. Our data shows that investing in training an increasingly digital and remote workforce to communicate, learn and lead remotely may be the key. In Malaysia, the resounding push from respondents for more flexible and remote working is compounded by the rising importance of soft skills, digital skills and remote skillsets of remote orientation and remote leadership. It is apparent then that a workplace of the future in Malaysia will not only offer flexible and remote ways of working but also have training and measurement in place so these skills can be not only be imparted but developed and evolved with the times.”

About the Report 

The DNA of the Future Workplace report is based on findings from two surveys conducted on more than 4,000 and 5,000 respondents respectively across the five Hays operating markets in Asia: China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore; to measure sentiments on the four core elements we believe will shape workplaces of the future: flexibility, technology, upskilling and purpose. The first survey was concluded in February 2020 at the cusp of the pandemic, with the second having concluded in October 2020. By comparing the two surveys, our findings aim to form a definitive understanding of how the pandemic has altered working sentiments, as well as a barometer for organisations as they seek to understand, attract and retain top talent amidst current challenges and those to come.

Download your copy of the full report here or watch our webinar regarding the findings of the report here.

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About Hays Malaysia

Agensi Pekerjaan Hays (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd ("Hays Malaysia") is one of the leading specialist recruitment companies in Malaysia in recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people across a wide range of industries and professions. We provide mid to senior level recruitment services across both finance and commerce industries. We have become known as the experts in sourcing regional and global candidates, as well as returning Malaysians.

Hays has been in Malaysia since 2012 and boasts a track record of success and growth, with two operating offices located in KLCC and Sunway. At Hays in Malaysia, we operate across the private and public sector, dealing in permanent positions in the following specialisms: Accountancy & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Construction, Digital Technology, Engineering, Finance Technology, Human Resources, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Life Sciences, Manufacturing & Operations, Marketing & Digital, Procurement, Supply Chain and Sales.

About Hays

Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2020 the Group employed c.10,400 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2020:

• the Group reported net fees of £996.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £135.0 million;
• the Group placed around 66,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 235,000 people into temporary roles;
• 17% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
• the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees;
• IT is the Group’s largest specialism, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Construction & Property (12%), are the next largest
• Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA