Malaysians are burned out and giving up on their careers: Report

50% of Malaysian workers are finding their careers less important, despite 64% saying there is a clear career path they can follow within their organisation. The Malaysia findings of Employment Hero's 2022 Employee Wellness Report show that more than half of Malaysians believe their career has been negatively affected by the pandemic, with younger workers noticeably more impacted.

A large part of the reason is burnout - after a long and difficult two years, 58% are burned out and 51% have a less-than-good work-life balance. But the report also found that financial challenges are a major reason for that burnout. 97% say that their financial stress is affecting the quality of their work in some way, from loss of motivation and productivity to feeling checked out and missing deadlines and meetings.

Unsurprisingly, large numbers of employees are looking for a better paying job (25%) or an additional job (29%). This finding contrasts oddly with a separate finding that 57% feel they are fairly paid for their work, suggesting that pay scale norms and costs of living may be out of step.

Almost all employees are also hoping that their employer can offer them some financial guidance. Savings, retirement and pensions, and investments are the most sought-after knowledge. And with or without those, they also hope for benefits that can ease the pinch on their own pockets, ranging from more paid leave to paid medical benefits, or at least better work-life balance in lieu of higher pay.