Over a third of Malaysian fresh graduates quit first job in less than a year

According to a new study by Monster.com, more than a third of young Malaysian talent end up quitting their first jobs in less than a year, citing the need for quicker growth opportunities and a desire for more money as the main reasons to jump ship.

However, this is despite 58% of fresh graduates believing their first ever job is highly important to pave the way for their future careers.

In the study, 74% cite professional growth, as the leading reason young Malaysians left their role - followed by money (43%), and after, more than a third (38%) realising they needed to change the direction of their careers early on.

Across the region, 80% of employers believe their company provides sufficient support for fresh graduates to excel and grow – even though 37% admit most fresh graduates stay with them for no longer than two years.

However, young talent said some of their biggest challenges in their first jobs were around a lack of leadership and support transitioning into working life. While the majority said their biggest challenge was a lack of industry knowledge (61%), a lack of mentorship (34%) also played a big role in their decision to leave. Twenty-seven per cent said they didn’t think they “were fully prepared for work life”, while 25% struggled with long work hours, and 23% said they lacked enough feedback and support from direct managers to succeed.

Sanjay commented: “There are two interesting aspects to consider here. Clearly young talent expect to move quickly in their first jobs – they want promotions and pay rises, and they crave the leadership and support necessary to get there. While this could be a call for employers to take note and act quickly to retain young high potential talent, it’s also a wake up call to fresh graduates to give themselves time to fully grow into a role and figure out where their strengths lie.”

“The majority of employers are in agreement that young local talent have unrealistic expectations when it comes to salaries and pace of growth, but many might be failing to realise just how big a consideration money is. To overcome this, a strong onboarding process is needed to manage expectations, as well as a structure around training, learning and development to ensure young talent feel they are being invested in, and that they are considered an important part of the company’s future,” he added.

Infographic / Monster.com

Photo / 123RF