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60% of Malaysian job seekers unhappy with hiring experience

Just 39% of job seekers in Malaysia say they are happy about the hiring process, citing poor communication from employers and unclear job descriptions as their main gripe.

When asked about their most recent candidate experience, Malaysian candidates surveyed by Kelly Services were found to be the least satisfied with the recruitment process in all of Asia Pacific. In Singapore, 50% said they were satisfied, compared with Indonesia at 45% and Thailand at 59% - this is compared with the average of 42% across the region.

The most common concerns given in the Kelly Global Workforce Index by Malaysian candidates were a lack of communication about the outcome of the application or interview and unclear information about job descriptions, requirements and salaries in job advertisements.

Most candidates (47%) believe employers should be getting back to them about an application or interview three to five business days afterwards, while 34% said up to two weeks was acceptable.

“The job application and hiring process is typically a candidate’s first experience with an organisation, and a chance for a firm to showcase how it functions and how it treats its people. Understandably, candidates have high expectations which are sometimes overlooked in the process of selecting the best talent," said Kamal Karanth, managing director, Kelly Services Malaysia and India.

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Past the initial hiring experience, however, a candidates' experience appears to get better, with 60% of new recruits in Malaysia saying their current employer has a planned approach to onboarding - slightly below China at 77% but above Singapore at 50%.

When asked about their views of their new employer after the first 90 days in the job, 47% were “definitely” positive about the organisation, while 40% were “somewhat” positive.

“It should also be remembered that the most sought after recruits may themselves be using this initial period to decide whether they have made the right job choice,” added Karanth.

The survey also found workers in Malaysia were not as active in seeking jobs as compared to their global counterparts, with 57% of Malaysians having applied for a new job in the previous year, compared to APAC at 67% and globally at 73%.

Image: Shutterstock

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