Online job listings fall 11.4pc in Q2

In the second quarter of 2023, the number of online job listings in Malaysia decreased by 11.4%, according to the Statistics Department. The total number of online jobs advertised fell from 626,816 in the previous quarter to 555,509 in the second quarter. Despite the decline, the number of companies advertising job openings remained relatively stable, increasing marginally by 0.1% from 79,499 to 79,510.

Professionals constituted the largest share of online job offerings, accounting for 51.5% of the total positions, which amounted to 285,907. Managers followed with 87,950 job offerings, while technicians and associate professionals recorded 86,512 positions. Advertising and marketing professionals were the most sought-after occupation, with 40,640 job listings, closely followed by managing directors and chief executives with 26,649 job vacancies.

The services sector dominated the online job market, accounting for 43.9% of the total positions, with wholesale and retail trade, professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and support service activities, and accommodation and food service activities being the top subsectors. In the technical and vocational education and training field, technicians led the way with 6,565 job offerings, followed by engineers and sales managers.

In the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector, technicians again topped the list with 6,565 job listings, followed by engineers and account managers. The critical occupations list showed that assistant managers had the highest demand, with 9,204 job offerings, followed by sales executives and account executives.