E-recruitment in Malaysia sees 11% decline in May

KUALA LUMPUR: Online recruitment activity in Malaysia recorded a six percent and 11% year-on-year (y-o-y) decline in April and May 2018 respectively, according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI) released today.
The MEI is a gauge of online job posting activities compiled monthly by Monster.com which records the industries and occupations showing the highest and lowest growth in local recruitment activity.
Monster.com said the oil and gas (O&G) sector had continually registered double-digit growth since April last year and this year, it was again up 11% y-o-y in April and 14% y-o-y in May.
"However, in the short-term, the sector witnessed recessive growth, down two percent month-on-month and four percent on a three-month basis in May," it said.
Monster.com said the information technology, telecommunications and Internet services provider, and business process outsourcing and Internet-enabled services sectors ranked among the top growth industries for the second consecutive month, which was up eight percent y-o-y in April and a marginal growth of one percent y-o-y in May.
"The professionals in the hospitality and travel sector saw the highest growth among job roles, surging 31% y-o-y in May, while the retail industry registered the sharpest decline, down 41% y-o-y in May.
"Customer service talents were the least in demand in May which saw a fall of 37% y-o-y," it added.
Monster.com APAC and Middle East Managing CEO Abhijeet Mukherjee said online hiring activity in Malaysia exhibited a relative slowdown in the run-up to the 2018 general election due to political and economic uncertainties, which prompted investors and businesses to be more cautious.
He said the O&G industry continued to lead in positive annual growth, as analysts projected a better outlook for both upstream and downstream players in the sector.
"The technology industry is also not slowing down in Malaysia, with the digital transformation's impact on the economy expected to significantly increase by RM400 billion by 2025.
"More initiatives have been introduced to help businesses adapt to emerging digital technologies, and this is also reflected in the declining demand for more traditional roles, such as customer service with businesses revamping their operating models," Abhijeet added. — Bernama