Bloomberg filepix for illustration purpose only.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 30): The number of job vacancies advertised online surged 23.5% in the second quarter of 2023 (2Q2023) to record 261,231 vacancies from 211,509 vacancies recorded in the first quarter (1Q2023), chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said.

According to the Big Data Analytics Job Market Insights and My Job Profile: Job Vacancies Advertised Online in Malaysia released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on Thursday, during 2Q2023, there were 70,571 establishments which offered job vacancies, a notable increase from 55,006 establishments reported in the preceding quarter.

“In the meantime, job vacancies registered a year-on-year increase of 29.3% in 2Q2023, compared to a 32.9% annual rise in 1Q2023.

“Further disaggregation by month, most of the advertisements were posted in May 2023 with 109,262 vacancies. Additionally, there were 103,826 and 48,143 vacancies in June and April 2023, respectively,” he said in a statement here.

In terms of the distribution of job vacancies by occupation category, professionals accounted for the largest share during 2Q2023 with 48.1% or 125,625 vacancies, followed by technicians and associate professionals (18.3%), managers (15.1%), and service and sales workers (6.9%), he said.

“The most in-demand jobs during the quarter were advertising and marketing professionals (20,846), managing directors and chief executives (12,703), administrative associate professionals (12,284), accountants and auditors (10,781) and software developers (7,779),” he said.

As for job vacancies by economic sector, Mohd Uzir said services formed the largest percentage share of job vacancies advertised online at 59.0%, by registering a total of 154,134 vacancies in 2Q2023.

“All economic activities recorded addition in the number of job vacancies in 2Q2023 except for arts, entertainment and recreation; mining and quarrying; other service activities; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; and water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities,” he said.

In the meantime, Mohd Uzir said it was also observed that wholesale and retail trade dominated the vacancies with 18.2% or 47,597 jobs, while manufacturing recorded a total of 27,429 vacancies (10.5%), followed by professional, scientific and technical activities at 18,667 vacancies (7.1%), and financial and insurance/takaful activities with 18,665 vacancies (7.1%).

Adding to this, from the perspective of popular jobs offered in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) category, advertising and marketing professionals registered the highest number of 20,846 vacancies, he said.

Meanwhile, the top three positions in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) category were technician (2,758), project manager (2,171) and software engineer (2,098), the chief statistician said.

“As for the Critical Occupation List (COL), the highest demand was advertising and marketing professionals (20,846), managing directors and chief executives (12,703), and accountants and auditors (10,781),” he added.

Concerning the job vacancy situation at the state level, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur continued to record the highest number of vacancies during the second quarter with 59,222 positions (22.7%); followed by Selangor, with a share of 7.8% or 20,438 vacancies; and Johor at 4.4% or 11,436 vacancies.

“On the contrary, Perlis registered the lowest number of vacancies, with only 91 advertisements in 2Q2023,” Mohd Uzir said.

Regarding the most in-demand skills in the job market, the chief statistician said statistics reveal a high demand for soft skills among employers, comprising proficiency in English, effective communication, Bahasa Malaysia proficiency, planning capabilities and marketing skills.

“Furthermore, there is an increasing emphasis on hard or technical skills, namely Mandarin proficiency, analysis abilities, proficiency in the Microsoft Office software, filing expertise and project management skills.

“Therefore, to enhance job opportunities for job seekers, it is important to consistently develop and align these skills with the current requirements of the dynamic job market,” he added.