Employers in Malaysia scored better in the key areas that staff find attractive than organisations in both Hong Kong and Singapore. This was revealed in recruitment firm Randstad’s inaugural Malaysia Randstad Award research report.
The attractiveness factors that were important to Malaysian employees were compared with the key attributes companies scored well in. These attractiveness factors are facets of an employer brand which are crucial for a talent to decide whether to leave for a new company or choose to stay.
A key factor as to why Malaysian companies scored better was due to the fact that Singaporean and Hong Kong employees places a higher emphasis on the importance of work-life balance and pleasant working atmosphere. Malaysian staff had a higher preference for companies that were financially stable and were able to offer better long-term job security.
| Potential talent in Malaysia seek… | Employers in Malaysia score best on… | ||
| 1 | Salary & employee benefits | 1 | Financially healthy |
| 2 | Financially healthy | 2 | Strong management |
| 3 | Long-term job security | 3 | Good training |
| 4 | Good work-life balance | 4 | Salary & employee benefits |
| 5 | Pleasant working atmosphere | 5 | Career progression opportunities |
| 6 | Career progression opportunities | 6 | Long-term job security |
| 7 | Strong management | 7 | Interesting job content |
| 8 | Good training | 8 | Pleasant working atmosphere |
| 9 | Interesting job content | 9 | Environmentally & socially aware |
| 10 | Environmentally & socially aware | 10 | Good work-life balance |
Despite Malaysian employers scoring better than their counterparts in Singapore and Hong Kong, the employer score for work-life balance, like the other countries, remained at the bottom of the rankings.
As work-life balance becomes increasingly important for talent around the world, companies in Malaysia will need to focus in this area to ensure that talent attraction and retention efforts are strong.
Ryan Carroll, Country Director of Randstad Malaysia noted, “It’s encouraging to see that employers are by and large catering to the wishes of talent in Malaysia, and more so than in both Singapore and Hong Kong.”
“As this is the first year of the Randstad Award in Malaysia, we look forward to seeing how the attractiveness factors evolve over time. I expect that in the coming years, we will see good work-life balance climb the rankings as we have seen in Singapore and Hong Kong,” added Carroll.
The Randstad Award is based on the outcome of the world’s largest survey into employer branding and is the only award which is truly representing ‘the people’s choice’. This extensive research surveys over 200,000+ respondents across different age groups, genders and educational levels, and covers 75% of the global economy.
Shell Malaysia was named the most attractive employer in Malaysia at the Randstad Award 2016. The award, held on the 28th of April, was the first ever for Malaysia and the 16th edition globally.
