Malaysian jobseekers to face tough times in Q3

Employers predict that jobseekers in Malaysia will face a harder time in the third quarter of 2012, according to the latest survey by JobStreet.com.

Despite assurances from the government that the Malaysian economy is set to grow by up to six per cent, one third of employers (33%) feel that the general outlook will be slightly worse or much worse. This is a marked increased from Q2’s 22%.

The number of respondents who answered that the job outlook will be slightly better or much better has dropped from 47% to 31% for Q3 2012. The number of employers who felt that employment prospects would worsen increased by 10%, compared to the same period last year.

Almost half of respondents (46%) said that they will be hiring less people, replacing or filling essential positions only in the next 12 months. Another 11% said that they will not be conducting any hiring exercises in the near future.

The survey said that jobseekers with skills in sales and marketing, or marketing and business development, are the most sought after, followed by those with expertise in computer and information technology, accounting and administration.

Major industries such as manufacturing, information and communication technology, retail and wholesale trade, and finance were likely to have the lowest job growth in the next year.