What Jobseekers Want: Factors to Consider When Choosing a Career

As the labour market moves into the post-pandemic stage, the search for talent becomes a key recovery indicator. One challenge that remains is the gap between talent shortage among employers and a lack of desirable career options for some jobseekers. This is a gap that needs to be bridged if we want a thriving workforce in the new normal.

So, why does this gap exist in the first place? The answer, simply put, is that many companies are still unable to attract the right talent. We have seen many changes in the way people work over the last few years, and these changes need to reflect the way employers seek out talent. For instance, social media has become a new avenue through which jobseekers discover job opportunities. The nature of work, itself, has evolved over the years. For jobseekers, this could mean more opportunities in the job market, especially as more companies adapt to the shifting job landscape.

Of course, rising opportunities could also mean rising competition in the job market. If you want to increase your chances of getting a better job, it helps to be in the know. 

What are the things to look for when looking for a job? Well, Malaysian jobseekers have spoken, and what they are saying can offer a window into the latest job market trends.

JobStreet’s report entitled What Jobseekers Wish Employers Knew: Unlocking the Future of Recruitment is filled with insights on what your fellow candidates prioritise in their job search. Want to know what your peers are thinking? Here are some things we found out.

The Deal-Breakers: It’s Not All About Salary

Most jobseekers are guided by their “must-haves” when identifying what to look for in a new job. What the Future of Recruitment Report reveals is that these must-haves are increasingly becoming non-negotiables for many candidates. In fact, 68% of the survey respondents from Malaysia consider themselves to have an overall positive negotiation power in the labour market. This suggests that many jobseekers are willing to walk away from job offers that do not include items from their priority list.

What are the major deal-breakers by candidates in the Malaysian job market? The top consideration remains financial compensation (27%). But not far behind at 21% is work-life balance, a factor that has been elevated to a must-have post-pandemic. People now value their personal time more, especially after seeing it overlap with office hours while working at home for most of the pandemic. Lack of work-life balance is now widely considered as a deal-breaker, proving that, in the modern Malaysian job market, it is no longer just all about the salary.

Another major deal-breaker for jobseekers is lack of job security (16%). After years of uncertainty, candidates want to know that their jobs are secured, allowing them to work no matter the changes in circumstances. What these main deal-breakers should tell you is that, if more and more candidates are empowered to consider these things non-negotiables, then maybe companies can be more open to providing them. You could then feasibly seek or expect these factors to consider when choosing a career.

What Motivates Malaysian Employee In the Long Term

“How do you see yourself ten years from now?” It is a common interview question, and it reveals a lot about what candidates expect from their careers. Based on the Future of Recruitment Report, it would appear that the most common answer among Malaysian jobseekers is “a stable job with good work-life balance.” This is the top long-term motivation for candidates at 72%, which is in line with their main deal-breakers.

Many jobseekers (44%) also aim to eventually progress to a leadership position. This means that many candidates are keener on joining an organisation that values career growth and advancement. The next most common long-term consideration is being able to reskill and try other careers and professions (31%), which reflects on the lasting effect of reskilling during the pandemic. Some employees have now seen or experienced first-hand the value of updating one’s skills and thereby expanding one’s career potential.

What Motivates Most Job Searches

Have you ever wondered how many of your fellow jobseekers have similar situations as you? People search for jobs for different reasons, from looking for a better job to just trying to get a start at a new industry or line of work. The Future of Recruitment Report reveals that most job searches in Malaysia (54%) are done by people who are not actively looking for a new job but are open to good offers nonetheless. Only 26% of the respondents said that they are actively looking for a new job at a new company.

More interestingly, most of those who are not actively looking for a new job would consider an offer from another employer if it involved a higher salary and better opportunities for career progression. Meanwhile, most of those who are actively looking for a new job are doing so to seek a higher or “more interesting” position. 

What these findings say is that most workers are generally fine with their current job but are searching for other opportunities anyway in case they can get a higher salary or position elsewhere. For people who really want to move on to another job and another employer, however, a better position seems to be the main motivation, not necessarily a higher salary. This, again, shows us that in the modern labour market, salary is not the ultimate deciding factor for jobseekers. The idea of a “better job” has evolved to include benefits and job satisfaction, among others.

Work Flexibility Is All The Rage

Since being introduced to work-from-home arrangements during the pandemic, many employees now see that work can be done, sometimes more efficiently, outside of the office. This realisation has influenced expectations among jobseekers, as 61% of Malaysian workers prefer a hybrid work model, which is a mix of both onsite and remote work. The effect of changing work modes over the years seems to persist in Malaysia in particular, as the 61% of respondents who prefer hybrid setups exceeds the global average of 54%.

Flexible work arrangements are among the top things to look for when looking for a job. With many candidates seeking hybrid work models, chances are more and more companies would be open to adapting their work setups accordingly to attract talent. At the very least, you should not hesitate to ask employers if they offer such setups during your job search. You may not be the first candidate to bring it up.

Ultimately, the needs and expectations of jobseekers have changed. If you find yourself looking for more opportunities and more possibilities as you seek a better job, then you are not alone.  

You can also access our various career tools from Career Advice as you #SEEKBetter jobs in your career journey.