At the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 spread hurt the economies of countries worldwide, including Malaysia. Now in 2023, employers are looking for specific skills from the future candidates.
A study by Ipsos says that since the virus hit, about 31.95 million people, or 10% of the total population, have lost their jobs. At the same time, 74% of Malaysians feel more worried and anxious about their jobs.
But by the time the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented, many people had already started looking for work to make up for the money they had saved.
The most important thing for people looking for work to know is what skills are in high demand in the country’s job market.
According to research, these are the skills that Malaysian employers are looking for:
1. Project management
Malaysia’s job market is growing a lot, which is especially important since almost every country is trying to fix the problems that happened during the pandemic.
This means that more job possibilities, especially in business, are opening up again.
Every business project needs people to work on it. So, keep waiting for job offers if you manage projects well. This work area will also likely stay in high demand for a long time.
Pay attention to the project management skills such as communication, planning, and the ability to adapt.
Applicable industries: Government sector, marketing and retail or wholesale.
Related positions: Project manager, risk manager and procurement director.
2. Language
The need to grow foreign markets inside and outside of Asia has increased. Many companies, especially smaller ones in Malaysia, have used professional translators and people who know a lot about languages to make it easier for them to talk to people worldwide.
So, these employers need people who can talk to each other in multiple languages.
They also need these skills to make transcripts from English, French, German, and other foreign languages into Malay or other language of choice.
Applicable industries: Law, marketing, accounting, education and publishing.
Related positions: Interpreter, communication specialist and translator.
3. Web Development
Technology will always change along with how the world is changing. So, it’s unsurprising that people with advanced web creation skills are in high demand all over Malaysia.
Anyone wanting to move up in their job should learn to use different programming languages.
If you know how to write code in HTML, CSS, and Java, you are already one of the candidates that companies want.
Applicable industries: Information technology, pharmaceuticals, finance and creative marketing.
We all know that there are many digital advertisements on the streets, buildings, and just about everywhere else.
So, many employers in Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur, are changing their promotion to digital and direct mail so they can reach all buyers online and at home.
The good thing about this kind of job is that most people can do it from home. So, you won’t have to work during office hours.
To fill the quota, they also need creative artists and art directors with a lot of experience with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Applicable industries: Advertising, publishing and education.
Related positions: Art director, graphic designer, production artist and copywriter.
5. Sale
People often compare sales skills to language skills, but practical sales skills are much more different. Also, these skills will be in high demand for many years.
When the MCO was introduced in Malaysia, supply and demand increased, which was not the case in other industries. In this industry, knowing how to use sales communication skills successfully is important.
Applicable industries: Retail, wholesale, hospitality and e-Commerce
Related positions: Supply chain manager, sales director and sales manager
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Anisa is a writer who focuses on career and lifestyle topics in an effort to motivate both job searchers and employers towards greater fulfillment in their professional lives.