Continued business and social policy support bolstered by gradually reopening borders have resulted in a resurgence of previously on-hold roles, especially for multinationals companies with regional hubs in Malaysia.

 

But while this bodes well for procurement and supply chain professionals, we’ve observed that businesses are now looking for deeper expertise in candidates more than ever before, in categories like corporate services and mobility. At the same time, soft skills, especially relationship management, are also increasingly prioritised by hiring managers. This has both limited the candidate pool for available roles and resulted in longer hiring lead times.

 

 

As for businesses, make sure to plan your talent attraction and retention strategies with the available candidate pool in mind. While borders are reopening, the ability to hire foreign talent will still be limited compared to pre-pandemic times, so considering prioritising local talent development and ensure that career opportunities are provided to high-performing employees.