More than one in three respondents said that they would quit their jobs if they were not offered any opportunities to future-proof their skills.
Notably, a significant 43 percent of Gen Zers would consider quitting a job that does not offer upskilling opportunities, while only 15 percent of baby boomers would take such action.
Additionally, local respondents are most interested in developing themselves in the following areas: IT and tech literacy (42 percent), management and leadership skills (29 percent), AI (29 percent), data science and analytics (23 percent), and communication and presentation skills (22 percent).
And the five most important factors when thinking about their current or future employment are work-life balance (94 percent) and salary (94 percent), health insurance and healthcare benefits (90 percent), working hours flexibility (89 percent), job security (88 percent), and mental health support (87 percent).
"While Malaysians are ambitious to seek higher salaries and more prestigious job titles, they balance it with finding employers who can offer a positive experience. Being able to secure a stable work-life balance, having their physical and mental health taken care of by employers, and having the opportunity to upskill could sometimes be more important than doing the same job for a higher salary", said Fahad Naeem, country director at Randstad Malaysia.
The research, conducted among 517 locally-based employees and job seekers, delves into their career expectations and experiences across four main themes: motivation and ambition, flexibility, fairness and understanding, and artificial intelligence (AI) and upskilling.
Furthermore, the data highlights a shift in career ambition beyond mere professional advancement, emphasizing a broader focus on personal satisfaction and a comprehensive work experience.
In Malaysia, 73 percent of individuals perceive themselves as ambitious, marking a 17 percent increase compared to the global average. Conversely, 12 percent of workers express disinterest in taking on managerial roles.
Nevertheless, the research emphasises that a lack of enthusiasm for career progression doesn't diminish the desire for self-improvement. More than four out of five respondents (81 percent) prioritise training and development opportunities when evaluating their current and future employers.
Naeem is of the view the labor marketplace in Malaysia has evolved from being a transactional one to an employer's ability to meet individualistic talent motivations and aspirations.
"Companies must prioritise effective communication to understand specific needs like flexibility, career advancement, or training opportunities. Adopting a 'talent-first' approach to addressing personalised employee goals helps businesses differentiate and succeed in the competitive world of work", he said in a statement.
This appears to be a generational thing – but that aside, in Malaysia, we also have the issue of mismatched jobs.
Khazanah Research Institute's latest report, Shifting Tides: Charting Career Progression of Malaysia's Skilled Talents
indicates that nearly 40 percent of experienced graduates are having a tough time getting well-paid jobs that match their skillset.
Hawati Abdul Hamid, the lead author of the report is on-point when she said: "Since starting one's career on the wrong foot could have enduring effects on future career trajectory, last-mile active labor market initiatives are important to facilitate the education-to-work transition.
This could ultimately overcome the under-utilisation of skilled talents in driving the nation's development and maximise the return to higher education".
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