KUALA LUMPUR: Job-seekers are prioritising roles that allow them to work from home.
However, this puts them at odds with their employers, with data from recruitment portal Jobstreet indicating that almost 70 per cent of employers have adopted a full return-to-office work environment after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jobstreet by Seek Malaysia managing director Vic Sithasanan said the pandemic had changed the expectations of many job-seekers, who now value remote work and flexibility.
He said employers would need to stay flexible to ongoing and upcoming trends, and adjust their strategies to avoid lagging in securing and retaining top talent.
He also said employers played a key role in integrating elements, such as greater dependence on evolving technology or the continual evolution of job responsibilities and skills, as well as shifts in work styles, to cultivate an efficient and future-ready workforce.
"For example, the top keyword search on the Jobstreet platform, with over 200,000 searches is 'work from home'. So a greater emphasis is placed by job-seekers on this work model."
Vic said 19 per cent of employers allowed some form of remote work.
"This shows that while the 'remote work' buzzword is popular, work models depend on the job role and the skills needed.
"Engineering roles may require more physical attendance, given that they would need access to certain software or machines.
"For the companies that allow remote work or have work-from-home models, skills such as data-driven decision-making, resilience, flexibility, curiosity, listening, and leadership would be of high value."
Vic advised job-seekers to keep an open mind given the changes in job roles and work environments.
"Each workplace provides opportunities for learning and growth.
"It is crucial to invest time in personal development and upskilling, while highlighting these acquired skills to current or prospective employers to stand out in a competitive job market."