By Sharina Ahmad
JOB hunting during a pandemic may not be as easy as before, as there is a staggering number of Malaysian that have been laid off during this critical time.
More and more companies are continuing to tighten budgets, freeze hiring, undertake pay-cutting and retrench their staffs. Worse, many businesses, still adjusting to their new remote realities, just aren’t prioritising hiring especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
The latest statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) revealed that a total of 166,000 job vacancies were recorded in the private sector in the first quarter of 2020, a decrease of 35,000 from a year ago.
However, will there be hope to hunt for a new job right now due to lack of opportunities? Which sectors or companies are hiring?
Sunway University Business School of Economics professor Dr Yeah Kim Leng said the job market is expected to deteriorate in the coming months as retrenchments rise in tandem with the decline in production and consumption activities.
“Job market prospects will mirror the economic recovery which is not expected till the later part of this year, being dependent on whether the coronavirus threat is contained successfully without the need to shut down the economy again,” he told FocusM.
Consequently, Yeah said, there have been a surge in business and consumer demands, such as teleworking support systems, online entertainment and gaming, e-commerce, home deliveries, online education, digitalisation, and information and communications technology (ICT) services across all sectors.
Recruitment firm The Edge Partnership managing director Priya Bala said that currently, there is a slowdown in hiring and budgets are tight for most businesses. “This period will eventually pass and the demand for talent will come back.
“Many companies have taken a prudent approach by streamlining operations and cutting costs. This is to ensure that they have sufficient cash flow and resources to survive the extended lockdown period,” she said.
As a result, Priya noted, many people have either taken a pay cut or lost their jobs. The expectation is that the impact of Covid-19 will be felt throughout the year and a rebound is expected only in early 2021 at the earliest.
She said the bright spot is that post-Covid-19, there will be a lot more opportunities and possibilities than ever before. “Working from home will be part of our accepted work culture and there will be more communication channels via digital platforms and tools that will be the norm.”
Moving forward, she opined that digital, technology, data and e-commerce talent are in demand. “Also, business leaders who have the ability to navigate through a crisis and adapt their business models to the new challenges and environment (are in demand).”
Raine & Horne International Zaki + Partners Sdn Bhd associate director James Tan observed that apart from ICT, another area with opportunity is healthcare. “Due to this pandemic, the fear of infection is there. Those who are involved in the prevention of diseases will do well.”
“The nature of work has changed dramatically. Work from home is the in thing. This work from home needs its support and problem-solving, retraining and getting new skills.”
However, for some courier services players, they have seen a strong pick up in business during the MCO period. According to GD Express Courier Bhd managing director/group CEO Teong Teck Lean, its business is now very strong.
“Our digital platform last month grew 5- to 6-folds! The MCO has caused many companies to go online, and we cannot cope.
GDex’s digital platforms are myGDEX and myGDEX Prime. myGDEX is meant for retail customers while myGDEX Prime for the account and corporate customers.
“The courier pricing/rates will inch up as the industry does not have enough capacity now. We are aggressively hiring hubs workers, couriers, drivers and people to work in our warehouse,” he told FocusM.
GDex has been investing in technology and looking to acquire new technology to boost its business and improve efficiencies. For example, it acquired Web Bytes, which provides the retailers at KLIA a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system to better manage their tenants.
Essentially, Web Bytes supports back-end payments systems with the cloud-based POS system Xilnex and can easily integrate with e-commerce and delivery platforms.
Job hunting possible for new graduates?
Sunway University’s Yeah said fresh graduates in the hospitality, hotel, food and beverage, tourism, aviation and travel-related disciplines are facing dim employment prospects compared to those in the ICT, healthcare and fields related to sectors whereby demand is less affected by the pandemic crisis.
“The post-Covid-19 job market landscape has shifted to accommodate the changes in supply and demand, workplace practices and consumer behaviour arising from restrictions on public events and social gatherings, stay-at-home, social distancing, and public health and safety practices,” he noted.
The Edge’s Priya noted that a critical challenge among fresh graduates is that companies which are still hiring are looking for people who are “plug-and-play”, ie those who have the relevant experience and skills, who will be able to hit the ground running.
“There is a very low appetite for taking risks now and there is also no time to train and give people time to learn on the job. As such, fresh graduates may find it challenging to secure a job right now.
“Instead, they should use this time to learn and develop new, in-demand skills. There are many courses available online that even offer certification.”
For those who have been retrenched, she said they should keep in touch with recruiters who will be able to help to polish up their resumes and also advise them on opportunities available, and what areas they should be focusing on in their job search.
“This is not the time to be hung up on salary expectations and perks. Be open to opportunities that will benefit in the longer term in terms of experience and learning.” – May 14, 2020
