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As a whole, Malaysia recorded a total of 42,835 digital jobs from January to March 2024.
Malaysia experienced a healthy demand for digital talents in the first quarter of 2024, fuelled by accelerated digital adoption. According to the Digital Talent Snapshot in Malaysia, the top three industries with the highest demand were IT systems design, measuring & control instrument manufacturing, and banking.
Reflecting this demand, IT systems design also had the fastest growth in digital talent, recording a growth of +439% from the previous year. The top 10 industries with highest digital talent growth were as follows:
- IT systems design (+439%)
- Engineering services (+237%)
- Measuring and control instrument manufacturing (+235%)
- Computer hardware manufacturing (+47%)
- Entertainment providers (+45%)
- Environmental services (+34%)
- Human resources services (+28%)
- Manufacturing (+27%)
- Industrial machinery manufacturing (+25%)
- Banking (+24%)
As a whole, Malaysia recorded a total of 42,835 digital jobs from January to March 2024. Geographically, more than half of the digital talents were in the central region. Penang, Selangor, and Kuala Lumpur had the highest hiring demand while Sabah, Terengganu, and Labuan had the lowest.
Computer science was noted as the fastest growing skill in Malaysia (+71% year-on-year, or y-o-y), with Southeast Asia as a whole reflecting the same sentiment (+88% y-o-y). The local skills landscape was as follows:
- Computer science (+71%)
- Customer satisfaction (+65%)
- Analytical skills (+63%)
- Microsoft Power BI (+57%)
- Jira (+54%)
- Preventive maintenance (+51%)
- Presentation skills (+47%)
- Cybersecurity (+46%)
- Customer relationship management (CRM) (+44%)
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) (+44%)
Skills such as engineering, software development, and graphic design were also some of the most commonly advertised in job vacancies.
Meanwhile, the larger landscape for Southeast Asia noted the following fastest growing skills:
- Computer Science (+88%)
- TypeScript (+63%)
- Analytical skills (+61%)
- REST APIs (+61%)
- Customer relationship management (CRM) (+49%)
- Jira (+48%)
- Back-end web development (+47%)
- Cybersecurity (+47%)
- Amazon web services (AWS) (+44%)
- Copywriting (+43%)
In terms of compensation, top paying industries for digital professionals in 2023 ranged from IT software to oil & gas.
Salaries reflected are per month.
| Computer / Information technology (Software) | RM 14,463 |
| Electrical & electronics | RM 14,310 |
| Contact centre / IT-enabled services / BPO | RM 13,619 |
| Computer / Information technology (Hardware) | RM 13,377 |
| Oil / gas / petroleum | RM 12,928 |
To end off, the report provided three recommendations for employers to make the most of the talent and skills available in the labour market as well as within their workforce.
Invest in talent development: Investing in ongoing training programme is crucial for retaining employees in a fast-evolving digital landscape, as it keeps the workforce's skills up to date.
Flexible work policies: Implement flexible work arrangements and variable hours to attract and keep top digital talent, while promoting a better work-life balance.
Robust recruitment tactics: Adopting advanced recruitment strategies using AI, digital platforms, and virtual job fairs helps employers connect with tech-savvy job seekers efficiently.
ALSO READ: 5,331 companies have been granted Malaysia Digital status as of 31 March 2024
Lead image / Digital Talent Snapshot in Malaysia
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