Employers Focused on Hiring Talent with Digital Skills

KUALA LUMPUR, 17th JANUARY 2019 – JobStreet.com, Asia’s leading talent sourcing partner revealed its Job Outlook 2019, indicating that in the shift towards a digital economy, employers are adopting a forward-thinking view with a strong intent to hire talent with digital skills.

According to JobStreet.com Job Outlook 2019, 96% of employers surveyed perceived that the talent landscape will change with the shift to a digital economy. This is mainly due to rising demand for talent with digital skills but limited supply in the market as more and more organisations embark on their digital transformation journeys. Based on the survey, about 60% of employers reported that they have implemented some form of digital transformation initiatives or projects, with the remaining of employers surveyed are in various stages of planning and starting their projects.

With the wave of organisations adopting technologies to be ahead, 43% of the employers surveyed who are embarking on a digital transformation journey are looking to grow their talent pool with skilled talent to drive business growth specifically in areas such as IT/Computing, Digital Marketing and Research & Development. The search for these talents will only get more challenging so employers need to be more proactive and adopt innovative practices to ensure they do not get left behind.

Mr. Gan Bock Herm, Country Manager of JobStreet.com Malaysia sharing about digitalization being adopted rapidly across various working sectors in Malaysia during JobStreet.com HR Networking Event (HRNE) 2019.

“Organisations must strengthen their innovation and technology capabilities to capitalise on growth, and they need skilled talent to support that business growth. The Job Outlook 2019 survey shows that while 29% of employers surveyed are looking to hire new talent externally for the skills the business needs, a large majority of employers surveyed cited their willingness to invest in retraining and upskilling existing employees,” said Mr. Gan Bock Herm, Country Manager of JobStreet.com Malaysia.

The top 3 initiatives that employers are putting in place to retain their employees include:

1. Increase on the job training opportunities for new skill sets
2. Provide formal training & development programs to retrain and up-skill
3. Investing in digital technology & processes

The survey also reported that the top five core work-related digital skills sought after by employers are:

1. Digital marketing
2. Software and application development
3. E-commerce
4. Big data and analytics
5. Database

A highlight of the job survey is that employers are also looking to hire talent with soft skills in addition to hard skills. The top five traits valued by employers that increase talent employability include:

1. Problem-solving skills
2. Communication skills
3. The ability to work independently
4. Teachability/ willingness to learn and
5. The ability to work under pressure

Speaking at the JobStreet.com HR Networking Event 2019, Gan further commented that “Organisational transformation in the digital economy is more than simply automating processes in an organisation; it’s about synergising technology advancements with talent to drive business growth. This calls for the need for HR professionals to have an in-depth understanding of advancing technology and its possibilities to reinvent talent acquisition and retention strategies to transform the workforce.”

Mr. Gan Bock Herm, Country Manager of JobStreet.com Malaysia spoke about how digital and automation technologies will spur the creation of more job opportunities.

JobStreet.com’s 19th HR Networking Event brought together more than 400 HR professionals from over 180 companies across various industries at the One World Hotel, Petaling Jaya. This annual event serves as an effective platform where HR experts can share their knowledge and insights with other practitioners from all around the country.

HR professionals during the JobStreet.com HR Networking Event (HRNE) 2019 learnt about how to reinvent talent strategies in the rapidly growing digital age.

This year’s theme was “Reinventing HR for the Future of Work: Talent Strategies In The Rapidly Growing Digital Age”. The JobStreet.com HR Networking Event 2019 featured conversations around the need for proactive and strategic talent acquisition approach to attract and retain top talent for organisations to succeed in the digital world. This year’s event featured keynote speeches and panel discussions by industry leaders from SAP Malaysia, SP Setia, Teledirect Telecommerce, Sunway Berhad, PwC, Nestle Malaysia, Arvato Systems Malaysia, Experian, UOA Hospitality Group, Vinda Group and 4D Performance.