Malaysia sees over 50% dip in job listings for marketing, advertising and PR

JobStreet Malaysia has witnessed a 54% decrease in job listings for the ad industry, a 63% dip for the PR industry and a 51% dip for the marketing industry. According to its recent study which surveyed 5,000 Malaysians in April, 20% of those who work in advertising/PR/marketing industry have been retrenched and 10% of them are temporarily not working.

According to the study, nearly half of Malaysians (44%) have been unhappy with the quality of their life. Majority of the respondents (77%) said they were happy with their quality of life in pre-COVID-19 times. However, that number dropped to only 35% after the Movement Control Order, more distinctly among those who were permanently retrenched and those temporarily not working.

In particular, for those who were permanently laid off as a result of the pandemic, their happy rating dropped 63% pre-COVID to 18% currently. As for those who are temporarily not working due to the pandemic but are still employed, their rating tipped 50% to 29%.

To aid those impacted by the pandemic, the government rolled out a RM2 billion PENJANA initiative for skills development programmes for youths and the unemployed. This aims to provide new skills for Malaysians and enable them to meet the demands of job markets and industries.

Separately, JobStreet also rolled out at #TogetherAhead initiative which offers support and inspiration to candidates and hirers. The initiative includes the COVID-19 jobs and resources hub, which offers insights and data to support candidates and get their careers and businesses back on track.

JobStreet Malaysia's country manager, Gan Bock Herm, said with many Malaysians reversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's goal is to jumpstart their stalled careers with tools that may assist them in landing more and better opportunities. “We hope that these will eventually help them raise their outlooks and improve their quality of life," he added.

Separately, the Mental Health Department under the World Health Organisation released a public health advisory earlier this year, stating that it is important to support one's mental and psychological well-being amidst the rapidly increasing COVID-19 outbreak.The advisory also offered tips for team leaders and managers to aid staff in overcoming challenging times, including ensuring good quality communication and accurate information updates and keeping all staff protected.

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