Overview of Hiring Activity
Malaysia’s online hiring activity accelerated sharply in April 2026, with the foundit Insights Tracker rising 38% year-on-year — a marked step-up from the 23% annual growth recorded in March. Month-on-month, hiring was up 10%, with the index climbing to 99 from 90 in March, approaching its long-term baseline.
The broader trajectory has strengthened considerably. After four consecutive months of positive annual growth — from 8% in January to 9% in February, 23% in March, and now 38% in April — employer confidence is no longer tentative. Hiring is expanding broadly across industries and functions, underpinned by sustained infrastructure execution, trade and e-commerce momentum, and widening demand across services, manufacturing, and commercial roles.
April marks a notable milestone: all 10 industries tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth — the first time every tracked industry has been in positive territory.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
All 10 industries tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth in April 2026, with Engineering, Logistics, and IT leading the charge.
In demand
Others (+56%) The strongest performer across the index, reflecting broad-based activity across niche and mixed-sector categories — a signal of deepening market confidence well beyond the major verticals.
Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+44%) Infrastructure execution, commercial project pipelines, and sustained urban development activity are driving exceptional demand across technical, site, and project management roles.
Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation & Shipping/Marine (+43%) Trade flow momentum, e-commerce expansion, and ongoing supply chain investment continue to support robust hiring across fulfilment, transport, and logistics operations.
IT, Telecom/ISP & BPO/ITES (+38%) A sharp acceleration, with digital transformation, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity investment broadening demand across technology and outsourcing roles.
Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media & Entertainment (+32%) Corporate spend on digital marketing and performance media continues to sustain strong hiring across creative, content, and campaign functions.
Oil & Gas (+15%) Steady operational and project-related demand, with hiring maintaining a solid positive trajectory even as capital discipline limits broader expansion.
Production/Manufacturing, Automotive & Ancillary (+15%) Firms continue to add capacity across manufacturing and processing to support active project pipelines and operational requirements.
Retail (+15%) Sustained consumer demand and omnichannel expansion are supporting elevated hiring across stores, fulfilment, and customer-facing roles.
BFSI (+11%) Financial institutions are expanding selectively in growth, compliance, and technology functions as confidence in the broader environment firms up.
Hospitality & Travel (+3%) A marginal but positive result, with operators cautiously adding headcount as post-pandemic demand normalisation runs its course.
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
6 out of 10 functional areas recorded year-on-year growth in April 2026.
In demand
Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+44%) The top-performing functional category by a significant margin. Companies are scaling supply chain resilience, procurement, and distribution capacity in line with sustained trade and e-commerce momentum.
HR & Admin (+18%) Renewed demand as workforce expansion, compliance requirements, and backfilling needs return people management and administrative functions to strong growth.
Engineering/Production (+15%) Steady gains aligned with active construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing pipelines, with hiring supporting project execution and operational continuity.
Sales & Business Development (+13%) A meaningful recovery, with firms expanding frontline commercial capacity as broader market confidence strengthens.
Marketing & Communications (+12%) Sustained investment in performance-led marketing and brand functions continues to underpin healthy hiring across this area.
Customer Service (+6%) A modest positive, with selective demand rising across services-led and operational roles even as automation continues to weigh on traditional support functions.
Facing challenges
IT (+0%) Flat at the functional level despite strong sector growth in IT/ITES, pointing to demand consolidating around specialist profiles rather than broad-based hiring.
Finance & Accounts (−1%) Marginal softness as shared services models and automation reduce incremental headcount requirements in finance functions.
Others (−3%) Slight contraction across miscellaneous functional categories.
Hospitality Roles (−24%) The sharpest functional decline, with staffing levels continuing to correct in line with operators’ commitment to lean, efficiency-led models.
About the foundit Insights Tracker
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) Malaysia (formerly the Monster Employment Index) is a monthly benchmark of online hiring activity across the nation. By analysing millions of job postings, fit provides timely, data-led intelligence on recruitment trends across industries, occupations, and skill categories, helping organisations and talent navigate an evolving labour market.
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