Overview of Hiring Activity
Malaysia’s online hiring activity opened 2026 on a strong note, with the foundit Insights Tracker rising 8% year-on-year — the index climbing from 76 in January 2025 to 82 in January 2026. Month-on-month, hiring was up 6%, signalling a decisive uptick in recruitment momentum.
The broader trend reinforces this recovery: hiring is up 11% over the last 3 months and 9% over the last 6 months, underpinned by stronger GDP growth in late 2025, persistently low unemployment, and sustained activity across services, manufacturing, and construction. Employers are adding capacity selectively — skills-based and targeted — rather than expanding broadly.
8 out of 10 industries tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth in January 2026, with Logistics, Engineering, and Advertising leading the charge.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
The market is broadly positive at the industry level, with only Retail and Hospitality in negative territory.
In demand
- Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation & Shipping/Marine (+39%) The standout performer. Sustained e-commerce volumes, active trade flows, and supply chain expansion are driving robust hiring across fulfilment, transport, and logistics operations.
- Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+32%) Infrastructure execution, urban development, and commercial project pipelines continue to fuel strong demand across technical, site, and project management roles.
- Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media & Entertainment (+28%) Rising corporate spend on digital marketing, performance media, and content is sustaining strong hiring across creative, media, and campaign functions.
- Others (+26%) Broad growth across niche and mixed-sector categories points to improving confidence and selective expansion across smaller verticals.
- IT, Telecom/ISP & BPO/ITES (+22%) Selective but meaningful growth, driven by demand for digital, cloud, cybersecurity, and efficiency-led roles as organisations push ahead with technology transformation.
- Oil & Gas (+7%) Modest growth, though hiring remains measured as capital discipline and restrained upstream investment continue to cap net additions.
- Production/Manufacturing, Automotive & Ancillary (+6%) Steady but limited expansion as firms prioritise automation and productivity over significant headcount growth.
- BFSI (0%) Flat. Banks and financial institutions are focused on automation, productivity, and selective backfilling rather than net hiring growth.
Facing challenges
- Hospitality & Travel (−3%) Hiring has pulled back as post-pandemic demand normalises and operators pivot to margin control and leaner staffing models.
- Retail (−5%) The only sector in meaningful decline, reflecting cautious consumer spending and ongoing cost optimisation at store level.
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
Functional hiring is broadly positive, with 7 out of 10 areas recording year-on-year growth. Supply chain, HR, and engineering lead; hospitality and customer service roles remain under significant pressure.
In demand
- Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+28%) The top-performing function. Companies are doubling down on supply chain resilience, inventory control, and logistics optimisation amid steady trade and e-commerce activity.
- Others (+27%) Broad growth across miscellaneous functions reflects improving momentum across a range of support and operational roles.
- HR & Admin (+16%) Renewed demand points to workforce stabilisation, compliance needs, and replacement hiring as organisations rebuild people management capacity.
- Engineering/Production (+9%) Positive momentum aligns with broader strength in construction and logistics-linked industries, with hiring supporting ongoing projects and operational continuity.
- Marketing & Communications (+4%) Selective but steady growth as employers continue to invest in performance-led marketing, brand, and digital roles.
- IT (+1%) Marginal growth despite global tech caution, with ongoing digital transformation needs providing a floor for tech hiring.
Facing challenges
- Finance & Accounts (−2%) A slight but persistent decline as automation of routine financial processes and shared services models continue to reduce incremental headcount requirements.
- Sales & Business Development (−4%) Firms remain cautious on frontline commercial expansion, prioritising productivity and existing account monetisation over headcount additions.
- Customer Service (−13%) A sharp decline driven by automation, self-service adoption, and AI-led support models hollowing out demand for traditional customer service roles.
- Hospitality Roles (−30%) The steepest functional decline by far. Staffing levels are correcting after post-pandemic normalisation, with operators focused firmly on automation over workforce expansion.
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.
