Malaysian companies on par with Asia counterparts in workplace diversity: Michael Page

• Forty-seven percent ranked gender as the top focus in their 2017 D&I programmes
• Career progression ranks above salary increase as the top factor in attracting, retaining talent

NINETY-FOUR percent of companies in Malaysia polled are supportive of diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, according to findings from the Michael Page 2017 Asia Salary & Employment Outlook. This is on par with the Asia average of 93% among the six other countries surveyed.

The countries included in the survey are China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Companies in Malaysia ranked gender (47%) as the top focus in their 2017 D&I programmes, followed by age (40%) and minority ethnic groups at 25%.

The Malaysian government’s support towards the advancement of women in the workplace has also created a conducive environment to address work-life balance challenges for females.

This is a continuing trend in Malaysia’s current employment market, where hiring managers face challenges attracting the millennial workforce and a limited candidate pool.

Nearly 560 employers in Malaysia across industries participated in the survey on 2017 employment trends.

Michael Page Malaysia director May Wah Chan, said that international firms are typically the key drivers of D&I due to mandates from regional or head offices. However, many in Malaysia are seeking to localise their workforce and becoming more representative of the local market.

 “Traditional incentives such as salary increases remain one of the top considerations for candidates. However other factors such as career progression and corporate values are rapidly becoming key talent attraction tools. This is especially relevant in technology, Malaysia’s key growth sector of 2017 where competition for specialist skills in financial technology (fintech), app development and e-commerce is highly anticipated.”

These roles which require niche skills in Google analytics, data science, search engine marketing, social media marketing and e-commerce are highly sought after, and candidates moving jobs can expect a 20% – 35% salary increase.

That said, more companies in Malaysia will be paying attention to employer branding as their differentiating strategy in the increasingly competitive field of talent acquisition and retention. Fifty-six percent of those polled said their organisation actively invested in employer branding practices.

 In addition, companies in Malaysia ranked career progression (70%) above salary increase (61%) as the top factor in attracting and retaining talent. This is a noteworthy increase from 2016 where only 52% selected career progression as the defining consideration.  

     
 
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