It has been more than a year since Covid-19 shut down Malaysia and the rest of the world. The pandemic here is yet to be contained and we took a step forward with vaccination programs but there is no room to be complacent.
People keep asking each other, “When are we going back to normal?” I don’t have an answer for that, but we will eventually. What we can do now is continue following safety measures and of course, prepare for the future. For us recruiters, prepare for the future of recruitment.
Some researchers believe Malaysia’s labour market is on its way to recovery, along with it, the economy. According to the latest Labour Force report by DOSM, the unemployment rate dropped 0.1% (775.5 thousand unemployed) and employment went up by 0.2% (15.27 million employed) in February. A marginal improvement but still a long way to go.
As we continue to move forward with our operations here at Asia Recruit, we continue to learn about the things we need to prepare for in the future of work. We realised that in the future, it is important for all of us to strive for something better than normal. That is why it is important for us recruiters to look ahead without losing footing of today’s challenges and opportunities in the hiring landscape.
In the latest Bloomberg Innovation Index, Malaysia ranks 29 in the list of the world’s most innovative countries. That is pretty impressive given that there are 60 economies on that list. Innovation in Malaysia’s recruitment landscape is yet to hit overdrive. In the future, more and more organisations are going to rely on technology for their recruitment processes.
Technology will be more active in recruitment, training and performance analytics. We also need to focus on how to improve our candidate experience, remotely. But most important of all, there will be a renewed focus on communication to improve a company’s overall culture, which will be powered by technology but guided by human intelligence and empathy.
Hybrid working and mental wellness are mostly separated discussions for most people. However, there is a connection between the two here in Malaysia, maybe even all over the globe. Hybrid working is expected to stay beyond this pandemic. This means employees working from home and at the office. Not everyone is sold to the idea of course as most companies still prefer the office.
But if we attach mental wellness, it becomes a bigger picture. The pandemic sent employees home to work. That meant giving them more time to spend with their loved ones, indulge in their hobbies, be more active and basically improve their overall life quality. However, remote working resulted in burnout for some people and they said lack of engagement is bad. That is why the idea of hybrid working to improve employee’s mental wellbeing came to light.
Mental wellness or wellbeing is no longer just a “nice-to-have” in the office, it is now a “must-have.” This is to better take care of our employees and job candidates.
Employee retention is a big challenge for an entire company, especially for recruiters in Malaysia. Throughout the years, employee turnover has been a key issue for companies in the country. Several companies in the country failed to investigate the factors resulting in high voluntary employee turnover. Today, employee retention is one of the top business agendas in Malaysia along with engagement.
According to a 2020 article by the International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, job hopping is common to the younger generation of employees in Malaysia. This means this issue is not going away and demands the attention of business leaders across different industries.
Retaining top talent is not easy especially with a more competitive job market. Employees are looking for training, upskilling or reskilling, wellness programs, and leadership programs. Your employees will continue asking the question, “Why am I here?” and it is best you give them a great answer. To prepare your organisation for the future, you need to future-proof your workforce first.
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Written By Damien Lim
Damien Lim is the Managing Director of Asia Recruit. Since joining in 2009, he has guided the company from Senior Recruitment Consultant to Director, ensuring the team achieves its vision and long-term goals in the Malaysian landscape.
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