Why 87% of Malaysians are thinking of switching to a new career path
About 87 percent of Malaysians are looking to make a career switch in search of “the best job,” according to a survey conducted by Monster.com
45 percent of the respondents said they were looking for financial stability and better salary while 29 percent said their current realm of work did not offer them further growth opportunities. About 77 percent of Malaysians want to keep working in the same industry but want to switch jobs.
Malaysia’s cost of living has experienced a continuous rise in the last few years. Moreover, the recent Monster Employment Index has shown that online hiring activity has slowed for the past six months, said Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO of Monster.com for APAC and Middle East region.
“Understandably, financial stability is a growing concern for Malaysians, and higher wages are a strong push factor for people to make career switches,” he said.
New entrants into the workforce are more willing to expand their horizons and explore opportunities that do not fall under their field of study. About 87 percent are eager to look for ways to build their options outside of their traditional study.
As the millennials start occupying a major portion of the Malaysian workforce, it is observed that jobseekers are now looking for purposeful work that will be rewarding and fulfilling for them.
“More Malaysians are open-minded to a career switch--even if the majority still view it as a bold move,” Mukherjee said.
Malaysians are increasingly drawn towards civil services and defense fields. About 12 percent said they wanted to go into the defense field followed by 12 percent wanting to pursue the field of teaching and education and 9 percent of the respondents said they wanted to go into the oil and gas industry.
This survey was a part of the #IMadeTheSwitch campaign wherein Monster surveyed more than 2,400 respondents covering Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines to explore the market dynamics and thought processes that impact career transitioning in the region.