Malaysia is observing a “strong” job-switching trend among younger workers due to mismatched expectations, limited career progression, and a desire for flexibility.

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said recruitment data shows that 81% of young workers have intentions to leave their jobs within a year.

“A significant share plan to resign within a year, reflecting a strong job-switching trend among Gen Z and millennials in the Malaysian labour market,” said MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman.

Syed Hussain described the situation as “increasingly common,” and attributed this to heightened expectations among the youth regarding career progression, flexibility, and meaningful work.  

“There may be a mismatch between expectations and reality of the job or workplace culture, limited career progression, a desire for faster skills acquisition, and greater emphasis on work-life balance and flexibility,” the MEF president said as quoted by The Star.  

Industries seeing frequent job changes include Digital and Technology, Engineering, as well as Sales and Marketing.  

Departures are also more noticeable after the year-end bonus period, according to Syed Hussain.  

Malaysia’s rising labour mobility  

The MEF’s findings are in line with recent data from Reeracoen Malaysia indicating rising labour mobility over the past year.  

The Reeracoen report found that 92% of Malaysian professionals are considering a job switch, with 76% already actively seeking new opportunities.  

The top reason for job switching for Malaysians is higher salary expectations, as less than half of employees said they received pay increases ranging from 0.1% to 4.9%.  

Another reason is shrinking bonuses, with 38% of employees saying they received less than one month’s bonus.  

Employers’ talent strategies are also emerging as a barrier for to employment, as jobseekers cite protracted communication (54%) and long application processes (40%) as discouraging in recruitment.  

“Malaysia’s job seekers are extremely active and selective today. Slow response times or unclear processes can cause companies to lose good candidates very quickly,” said Yohei Yagi, Country Manager, Reeracoen Malaysia, in a statement.  

“Employers who move fast, communicate clearly and offer competitive rewards will have a strong advantage in 2025.”  

Source: https://www.hcamag.com/asia/specialisation/recruitment/malaysia-sees-strong-job-switching-trend-among-young-workers/561719