Want to attract staff in Malaysia? Offer them work-life balance

Bosses may be struggling to find staff in Malaysia, but here's a simple solution which might alleviate their talent shortage woes - allowing their staff work-life balance.

According to Universum's new report, Talent Attraction in Emerging Markets, work-life balance is the biggest career goal of students in Malaysia.

Polling students studying business or engineering in countries considered as emerging markets, the report found 63% of students in Malaysia cited work-life balance as their top corporate priority.

This percentage was among the highest among all the countries surveyed - tying with Chile.

Argentina came in at second place at 59%, followed by Costa Rica (58%) and Brazil (57%).

On an average, the report stated 47% of students worldwide studying business stated work-life balance as their top priority - 1% higher than engineering students.

"Young professionals care deeply about work-life balance, and those in emerging markets are no different," the report stated.

"It’s not really a career goal in the literal sense of the words, but rather, an aspiration about the degree to which work and personal life can blend."

ALSO READ: The 10 hottest employers in Malaysia today

In North African countries, however, being entrepreneurial was graduates’ top career goal.

"We expected to see job security among the main concerns of students in emerging markets. It would be natural for job security to appeal to graduates who’ve grown up in countries with a high potential for economic and political instability."

"What is interesting, however, is the fact that being entrepreneurial or creative/innovative rated more highly – coming in second only to work-life balance," the report stated.

When it came to specific qualities of an employer these students look out for, a creative and dynamic work environment is the most sought-after attribute of workplace culture among students of both fields.

Professional training and development opportunities, as well as leaders who support such development, were also ranked highly by students worldwide.

"We see this as an indication that members of this generation, no matter where they are in the world, are really taking a different approach to work," said Petter Nylander, global CEO of Universum.

"Work and life are merging – students today don’t see as much of a separation between the two as they have in the past, and they know what a large role their work will play in their lives."

It is because of this reason, he added, that students want to work in an environment that resonates, urging employers to rise to the challenge and make investing in the work environment a priority.

Image: Shutterstock