Demand 'exceeds' supply for senior candidates with digital marketing skills in MY

Going by the initial market indicators, business sentiment in Malaysia was positive going into 2020, said Michael Page Malaysia's report titled, "Talents 20 Trends 21". However, the optimism companies quickly gave way to a much harsher reality when COVID-19 became a worldwide pandemic. Nonetheless, in 2021, Malaysia is well-positioned to bounce back from the impacts of the pandemic, said the report. In fact, 66% of those employed anticipate looking for new job opportunities in 2021. 

"The marketing in Malaysia's B2C space is really driving the demand for these professionals as organisations are trying to engage directly with their customers," said Paul Cooper, managing director of Michael Page Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to Cooper, the pandemic has brought about massive changes in consumer patterns.

"Leading players want to establish a direct link with the consumer and decrease the reliance on third-party eCommerce platforms," he explained. As a result, individuals such as digital marketing, data analysts and product managers were highly sought after for their skills in customer engagement. These engagements were often done through relevant influencers, and it opened a new online marketplace for brands.

As compared to Q3 2020, there was over 40% increase in job opportunities this year for marketing, advertising, and PR, said Ee Lyn Soo, senior recruiter, Michael Page Malaysia to A+M. Ee added the demand for brand-building roles has been consistent. In fact, Michael Page Malaysia has observed an increase in digital marketing roles across most industries with a majority of companies increasing their advertising budget for digital marketing since the pandemic. 

Though there might be a demand for roles on the marketing, advertising, and PR front, companies are still facing challenges when recruiting talents.

According to Ee, the talent pool is strong when it comes to the junior to mid-management level for marketing roles that require digital marketing skillsets. However, this pool of talents are often seen as having a lack of loyalty towards their employees. This is attributed to the market demand, which results in frequent job movement.

As for senior roles, demand exceeds supply for senior candidates with extensive strategic skillsets in digital marketing as most companies would have shifted their focus to this area only in the recent years. 

While many traditional marketing roles are now looking for talents with experience in digital marketing, this is an area that some traditional marketers struggle to adapt to. To combat this, Ee said marketers have to acquire experience in digital marketing through hands-on exposure and attending online courses. This is turn, would position job seekers well during the job-seeking process.

"Marketers will also need to be adaptive to the consumer landscape that has changed so rapidly in recent periods," explained Ee. Ultimately, the key is to be observant and sensitive to the market trends, as well as upgrading one's digital marketing skills. 

Similarly, Michael Page Malaysia has seen an increase of 22% in job opportunities for Malaysian professionals within the engineering and manufacturing sectors as compared to 2020.  This is particularly driven by the global demand for semiconductors and microchips created by the increased volume in consumer electronics production. "Factories in Malaysia are pressured to maximise its output which has led to a demand for specialists in semiconductor manufacturing," said Copper. 

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Photo courtesy: 123RF 

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