Malaysia’s employees are amongst the most inclined in the world to travel with 97% seeing work travel as an added value to their job. This is higher than both Singapore at 88% and Hong Kong at 78%.
The findings according to the Randstad Q1 Workmonitor report reveal that the positive sentiment of Singapore and Hong Kong employees around the value of travel, despite being major international travel hubs, is much lower than Malaysia as well as the global average of 89%.
With the majority of respondents in Malaysia finding that work travel adds value to their jobs, 73% also noted a preference to have a job which requires international travel, 17% higher than the global average of 56%.
Nearly half, 48%, of Malaysian employees stated their current job includes international travel, compared to 28% globally.
Further showcasing Malaysia’s proclivity for international work, 71% of respondents noted they are interested in working abroad and a further 69% said they would be willing to move abroad for the right job.
Global averages were much lower with only 53% noted they would be interested in working abroad and 55% would be willing to move.
Ryan Carroll, Country Director, Randstad Malaysia noted, “With the economic slowdown in Malaysia, it’s not surprising to find that employees in the country have a strong inclination to find work abroad and gain international experience.”
To ensure that companies in Malaysia continue to attract and retain the best talent, they need to ensure that people want to work for the company despite external factors such as the economy. This is when employer branding is at its most important and can have a major impact on a company’s hiring efforts.
“Our Q1 Workmonitor also revealed that 82% of respondents were keen to work with colleagues from different nationalities and cultures, higher than the global average of 76%. This high percentage may be a causal factor behind the strong inclination towards international work as Malaysians look to encounter new experiences overseas,” noted Carroll.
