Malaysia's tech industry is experiencing rapid growth, fuelled by digital innovation projects, wider adoption of cloud computing and AI (artificial intelligence), and a heightened focus on cybersecurity measures.
As companies increase their investments to accelerate growth, junior and middle-level professionals are mostly sought-after to execute project activities. On the other hand, employers are more selective with senior-level professionals, as they prioritise talent who are not just technically skilled but are also able to lead and develop teams effectively. With these new hires, companies are aiming to enhance productivity and efficiency while improving team dynamics.
However, talent scarcity has made it challenging for employers to secure the right talent for the company. Candidate expectations are constantly evolving, and companies need to develop more targeted strategies to attract top talent. This starts with understanding the types of opportunities and support talent seek in their career - from financial incentives to upskilling, work flexibility to overall job satisfaction.
cybersecurity, GRC and IT audit
In the face of talent shortages, cybersecurity professionals hold significant bargaining power to secure attractive salaries for their specialised knowledge. While competitive salaries are crucial, employers who excel in hiring top talent prioritise fostering a robust cybersecurity culture backed by the leadership team.
Administrative roles like security, IAM and SOC analysts are typically filled by junior-level talent and where we see a talent surplus. However, recruiting senior-level candidates with more in-depth expertise in these areas has been more challenging but still relatively manageable.
Highly skilled experts in specialised areas such as GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance), AppSec (Application Security), CloudSec (Cloud Security), and Pentest (Penetration Testing) are harder to find in Malaysia. Employers are also actively seeking technical cyber specialists with expertise in the second and third lines of defence to craft policies and mitigate emerging cyber threats. Recognising their value, these specialised professionals often command higher salaries due to the critical nature of their roles.
cloud
DevOps engineers are highly sought-after in Malaysia, due to their ability to improve collaboration and communication between development and operations teams, ensuring better resource utilisation and faster product delivery.
There is an adequate talent supply of junior DevOps engineers in Malaysia, but they require more upskilling and development support from their employers to get them up to speed with business requirements. Despite the initial skills gap and talent availability, companies must engage with junior talent effectively during recruitment because of a highly competitive job market.
Senior-level cloud solutions architects are highly sought after due to their expertise in both technical cloud knowledge and managing relationships with high-level executives. Employers typically require candidates to have several years of experience as cloud engineers or software developers before transitioning to an architect role.
IT infrastructure
Compared to the other enterprise domains, there is a healthier pool of experienced talent in IT infrastructure due to the maturity of this vertical. However, there is a percentage of talent that are attracted to new roles within cloud solutions, which may leave a gap in the traditional infrastructure domain.
Companies that offer a good mix of on-premises and public cloud solutions are the most attractive to infrastructure talent as they get the opportunity to develop their skills and improve their career prospects.
enterprise applications
The ERP market in Malaysia is currently dominated by two global companies - SAP and Oracle - followed closely by Microsoft, Workday, and Salesforce.
The increasing demand for enterprise applications in Malaysia has attracted many ERP companies to establish or expand to offer a wider variety and customised solutions to drive competition in the market. SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) are more likely to opt for alternative smaller ERP providers like Infor, Epicor, Acumatica, Sage and Odoo.
Consequently, the number of jobs has also increased in line with the industry’s growth, which has altered both employer and talent expectations. Multiple offers and salary comparisons have become commonplace, and companies are increasingly trying to differentiate themselves by aligning their corporate values with talent.
tech sales and pre-sales
Junior-level talent is often regarded as employees who implement strategies, and would mostly require additional training in project management and strategy development. Middle-level professionals, in contrast, tend to demonstrate a higher level of independence with occasional support from management. Some may already hold leadership positions, overseeing small teams.
Pre-sales specialists and architects are responsible for providing support to the sales team. While technology vendors place a high value on expanding their pre-sales workforce, talent may prefer to enhance their technical skills in an end-user environment rather than pursue a sales career.
project management and business analysis
In a highly competitive labour market, we have observed that employers who understand the nuances of evolving talent expectations and labour trends are more successful in securing top talent. In addition to financial incentives and work flexibility, employers who invest in talent development through upskilling or training subsidy programmes are more attractive to talent due to the high cost of obtaining certificates.
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