News Asean

Malaysian Employers Losing Out in Skilled Human Resources

Malaysian employers will have to increase their salary scale "significantly" to attract and retain talent as the country′s remuneration package currently falls far behind its counterparts in Singapore and Hong Kong, Kelly Services (M) Sdn Bhd sales and marketing director Jeannie Khoo said.

She said a higher salary scale will make Malaysia more attractive to job-seekers and offer the country higher chances of keeping its talent.

"Organisations must not look at human resources as a cost factor, but as an investment they must put in. If companies don′t invest in talent, they won′t grow and will always continue to face (staff) problems. Seriously, people are the bloodline of organisations," she told a news conference to reveal findings of the recruitment agency′s Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2012/2013 here yesterday.

"Salary is one of the top three priorities people look at when considering a job. Beyond training and development, engagement and mentoring programmes, salaries do matter," Khoo added.

The Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2012/2013 presented an optimistic outlook on the job market despite ongoing scarcity of top talent. Strong demand for skilled talent across all industries was observed as talent mobility is taking place within Malaysia with the outflow of skilled talent to regional countries and with talents increasingly willing to switch jobs.