KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — The number of job vacancies advertised online surged 23.5 per cent in the second quarter of 2023 (Q2 2023) to record 261,231 vacancies from 211,509 vacancies recorded in the first quarter (Q1 2023), Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said.

He said according to the Big Data Analytics Job Market Insights and My Job Profile: Job Vacancies Advertised Online in Malaysia released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today, during the Q2 2023, there were 70,571 establishments which offered job vacancies, a notable increase from 55,006 establishments reported in the preceding quarter.

"In the meantime, job vacancies registered a year-on-year increase of 29.3 per cent in Q2 2023 compared to a 32.9 per cent annual rise in Q1 2023.

"Further disaggregation by month, most of the advertisements were posted in May 2023 with 109,262 vacancies. Additionally, there were 103,826 and 48,143 vacancies in June and April 2023, respectively,” he said in a statement here.

He said in terms of the distribution of job vacancies by occupation category, Professionals accounted for the largest share during Q2 2023 with 48.1 per cent or 125,625 vacancies, followed by Technicians and Associate Professionals (18.3%), Managers (15.1%) and Service and Sales Workers (6.9%).

"The most in-demand jobs during the quarter were Advertising and Marketing Professionals (20,846), Managing Directors and Chief Executives (12,703), Administrative Associate Professionals (12,284), Accountants and Auditors (10,781) and Software Developers (7,779),” he said.

As for job vacancies by economic sector, Mohd Uzir said Services formed the largest percentage share of job vacancies advertised online at 59.0 per cent by registering a total of 154,134 vacancies in Q2 2023.

"All economic activities recorded addition in the number of job vacancies in Q2 2023 except for Arts, Entertainment and Recreation; Mining and Quarrying; Other Service Activities; Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply; and Water Supply, Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities,” he said.

In the meantime, he said it was also observed that Wholesale and Retail Trade dominated the vacancies with 18.2 per cent or 47,597 jobs, while Manufacturing recorded a total of 27,429 vacancies (10.5%), followed by Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities at 18,667 vacancies (7.1%) and Financial and Insurance/Takaful Activities with 18,665 vacancies (7.1%).

Adding to this, he said, from the perspective of popular jobs offered in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) category, Advertising and Marketing Professionals registered the highest number of 20,846 vacancies.

Meanwhile, he said the top three positions in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) category were Technician (2,758), Project Manager (2,171) and Software Engineer (2,098).

"As for Critical Occupation List (COL), the highest demand was Advertising and Marketing Professionals (20,846), Managing Directors and Chief Executives (12,703) and Accountants and Auditors (10,781),” he said.

Concerning the job vacancy situation at the state level, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur continued to record the highest number of vacancies during the second quarter with 59,222 positions (22.7%), followed by Selangor with a share of 7.8 per cent or 20,438 vacancies, and Johor at 4.4 per cent or 11,436 vacancies.

"On the contrary, Perlis registered the lowest number of vacancies with 91 only advertisements in Q2 2023,” he said.

Regarding the most in-demand skills in the job market, Mohd Uzir said statistics reveal a high demand for soft skills among employers comprising proficiency in English, effective communication, Bahasa Malaysia proficiency, planning capabilities and marketing skills.

"Furthermore, there is an increasing emphasis on hard or technical skills namely Mandarin proficiency, analysis abilities, proficiency in Microsoft Office, filing expertise and project management skills.

"Therefore, to enhance job opportunities for job seekers, it is important to consistently develop and align these skills with the current requirements of the dynamic job market,” he added. — Bernama