Workforce 2020

Country
Country Fact Sheet: fact sheet—Australia
Malaysia
The Looming Talent Crisis
 The workplace of the future will be the most diverse the world has ever seen. In 2020, multiple generations working
together will have different skills, experiences, habits, and motivations—and more of these workers will be freelancers and
contractors. All of this represents a major opportunity for employers and employees alike.
 Our worldwide survey of 2,718 executives and 2,872 employees shows that most companies are not prepared to capitalize
on these changes. Businesses are struggling with managing talent, cultivating leadership, encouraging learning, and
understanding their employees—and they may not be making HR a priority.
 This fact sheet outlines key survey findings about Malaysia.

Malaysia’s top 5 labor

market shifts affecting 58%
Millennials entering
the workforce
The New Face of Work
workforce strategy: Research shows priorities shifting as
Globalization of labor Increasing number of
economies rebound globally, and
TK%
51% supply 48% intermittent/seasonal companies lag in understanding these
employees changing dynamics.
 51% of Malaysian employees get ample training
Increasing number of
Aging workforce on workplace technology; 32% get access to the
42% contingent 35% latest technology. Companies and workers are
employees
unprepared for the growing need for technology
skills (see “Bridging the Talent Gap”).
Executives say...
…my company has a strong  89% of Malaysian companies say they are
...my company has an execution vision for the workforce it wants
plan for achieving its vision of
increasingly using contingent, intermittent,
to build in three years.
workforce management. seasonal, or consultant employees; but 12% say
that this requires changing HR policy. Overall,
30% executives are rethinking compensation, training,
61% and HR technology.

…workforce issues drive  33% of Malaysian companies use quantifiable

strategy at the board level. metrics and benchmarking for workforce
77% development; 34% know how to extract
meaningful insights from that data.

A Millennial Misunderstanding I expect more

I am
interested in
I frequently
collaborate with
feedback than quality of life colleagues in
Millennials are different, but not as different as I currently over career other areas of
companies think. receive. path. the company.

 51% of Malaysian executives say they rely on younger

employees or recent graduates to fill entry-level positions,
and 58% of executives say Millennials entering the 22% 51% 47%
workforce are impacting workforce strategy.

 Malaysian executives may be out of touch with what

26% 43% 53%
Millennials think—while 39% say Millennials will consider
leaving their jobs due to lack of learning and development and
38% say Millennials are frustrated with manager quality, 0%
1
of Millennials say this is true. Millennials Non-Millennials
 Workforce 2020—Malaysia

What Matters Most at Work

What employees What executives say their Companies do not understand what their
say is important company widely offers employees really want from them.
Flexible Supplemental Access
Competitive work
Flexible
training to social  59% of Malaysian employees are satisfied or very
schedule
compensation location programs media satisfied with their jobs.
 The most important benefits and incentives to
69% Malaysian employees are: competitive compensation
36% 39% 38% 16% (69%), bonuses and merit-based rewards (60%), and
flexible schedules (39%).

32% 18% 18% 66% 9%  53% of employees say higher compensation would
increase loyalty and engagement with their current job.
 Employees think the following attributes are most
important to their employer: the ability to learn and be
trained quickly (46%); job performance and results
(37%); and diverse backgrounds (34%).

What executives are saying…

“The telecom industry is changing, with lower-cost data provision becoming an increasing component
of revenues. The impact on HR is that the company needs to ensure that it can source and train an
appropriate mix of leadership skills to recognize and exploit operations that might be potential sources
of growth.”
—Datin Badrunissa Mohd Yasin Khan, Group Chief Talent Officer, Axiata

Executives say…
The Leadership Cliff Our leaders are prepared to
lead a diverse workforce. 33%
Executives and employees agree that Talent available in leadership
leadership is lacking—and companies are not positions is sufficient to drive
global growth.
34%
focused enough on developing future leaders.
 Just 33% of Malaysian executives say their company Our leadership has the skills to
plans for succession and continuity in key roles. 27% effectively manage talent. 34%
say that when a senior person leaves, the company
tends to fill the role from within the organization. of employees say
of executives say
leadership ability
 32% of executives say their plans for growth are being leadership is an
is an important
hampered by lack of access to the right leaders. 9% employee 18% important
employee
 Employees agree with employers when it comes to attribute at their
attribute.
leadership—40% of employees say leadership at their company.
company is equipped to lead the company to success. of employees say
of employees say
their manager
their company is
67% delivers on 26% committed to 2
leadership
diversity.
expectations.
 Workforce 2020—Malaysia

Bridging the Talent Gap— of employees are most

The Learning Mandate 46% concerned about their position
changing or becoming obsolete.
Better training and education opportunities
would benefit employees and businesses alike. of employees say they have
 The need for technology skills (e.g. analytics, cloud) will grow, 20% experienced the most professional
development through formal training.
but less than one-fifth of employees expect to be proficient in
skills like mobile and cloud in three years.
of executives say their
 66% of Malaysian executives say their company widely offers
supplemental training programs to develop new skills. 36% company has a culture of
continuous learning.
 But only 39% of employees say their company provides the right
tools to help them grow and improve job performance. of employees say HR has a

 37% of employees say their company encourages continuing 28% good understanding of their
skill sets.
education and training to further career development.

Survey demographics: Malaysia

 Executive industries: Executives come from the following industries: banking (7%); insurance (6%); retail (18%);
public sector (14%); healthcare (14%); professional services (13%); consumer goods (28%).
 Employee industries: Employees come from the following industries: banking (5%); insurance (8%); retail (16%);
public sector (14%); healthcare (18%); professional services (20%); consumer goods (21%).
 Employees by function: finance (13%); HR (11%); marketing (14%); sales (12%); operations (13%); production
(7%); service (8%); IT (23%).

 Executive titles: CEOs (1%); COOs (8%); CFOs (5%); CIOs (33%); CMO (5%); Chief Human Resources Officer
(11%); VP/Directors of HR (14%); VPs of Learning/Development (11%); VPs Compensation & Benefits (5%); VP
Recruiting or Talent (7%).
 Employee titles: front line (43%) employees; mid-level managers (41%); line-of-business managers (15%).

Annual company Executive

Employee Millennial respondents 12%
respondents (ages 18-35) revenue:
23%
$10 m–$49 m 9%
Non-Millennials 25%
$50 m–$299 m 21% 20%
Employee
$300 m–$499 m respondents
50% 50% $500 m–$1 bn
18% 25%
Over $1 bn 22%

27%

About the project

Workforce 2020 is a large-scale global study to discover best practices and actual progress toward the creation of talent strategies for the future in the
global economy. We surveyed more than 2,700 executives and 2,700 employees, and interviewed 28 executives across the following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK, US. Survey respondents came from a
variety of industries, company sizes, and age groups (49% of employee respondents are Millennials).