ONE of Asia’s leading talent sourcing firms JobStreet.com conducted a survey and shared its findings at the JobStreet.com’s 19th HR Networking event which gathered more than 400 HR professionals from over 180 companies across various industries. The annual event this year was themed “Reinventing HR for the Future of Work: Talent Strategies In The Rapidly Growing Digital Age”.
Said JobStreet.com Malaysia country manager, Gan Bock Herm (pix): “Organisations must strengthen their innovation and technology capabilities to capitalise on growth, and they need skilled talent to support that business growth”. Below are some insights from the survey.
Employers will have a sizeable pool of active candidates to source from but will need to compete more intensely for the talent they need especially in H1 of 2019.
While talent will need to ensure they are equipped with the right skills with the shift towards the digital economy and IR 4.0, employers and organisations need to transform and adopt new technologies and expand their internal pool with skilled talent or risk being left behind.
Some 60% of employers surveyed claimed to have implemented some form of digital or automated technology which is expected to spur the creation of more jobs, hence, talent should seize these opportunities.
Although digital skill sets are necessary, personal traits, mindsets and experience are also important. Companies need to look into increasing on-the-job training opportunities for new skill sets, provide formal training and development programmes to retrain and up-skill, and invest in digital technology and processes. They will also need to look into creating their own “Unique Value Proposition” and communicate it effectively to attract and retain the right talent with the right skills.
“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,” Gan added.
THE ANALYSIS ALSO REVEALED:
0 Top five core work-related digital skills sought by employers - digital marketing; software and application development; e-commerce; big data and analytics; and database.
0 Top five traits valued by employers that increase a talent’s employability - problem-solving skills; communication skills; ability to work independently; willingness to learn/teachability; and the ability to work under pressure.
0 Top five factors candidates should be mindful of when applying for jobs - attitude and behaviour; relevant work experience; style/personality that fits with the organisation; record of job stability; and asking package (expectations and compensations that include salary).
As more and more companies adopt digital transformation, the talent landscape will obviously change, leading to a high demand for digital skills and limited supply. What can be expected is an intense war for talent. Visit www.jobstreet.com.my/en/cms/employer/case-study/job-outlook-2019/ for more information on the survey.
