Overview of Hiring Activity
Malaysia’s online hiring activity accelerated sharply in March 2026, with the foundit Insights Tracker rising 23% year-on-year — a marked step-up from the 9% annual growth recorded in February. Month-on-month, hiring was up 7%, reflecting a meaningful near-term surge.
The broader trend has strengthened considerably — hiring is up 10% over the last 3 months and 17% over the last 6 months — underpinned by accelerating infrastructure execution, expanding logistics networks, and broadening employer confidence across services and manufacturing.
Employers are hiring with greater conviction, with gains now spreading across both technical and commercial functions. Notably, both BFSI and Retail — the only industries in negative territory as recently as February — have returned to growth.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
9 out of 10 industries tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth in March 2026, with Engineering, Logistics, and IT leading the charge.
The market is broadly positive across the board, with Hospitality & Travel the sole industry in negative territory.
In demand
Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+46%) The standout performer. Accelerating project execution across infrastructure, urban development, and commercial real estate is fuelling exceptional demand across technical, site, and project management roles.
Others (+39%) Broad-based expansion across niche and mixed-sector categories signals deepening market confidence and active hiring across smaller verticals.
Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation & Shipping/Marine (+33%) Sustained e-commerce volumes, strengthening trade flows, and ongoing supply chain investment continue to drive robust hiring across fulfilment, transport, and logistics operations.
IT, Telecom/ISP & BPO/ITES (+26%) A meaningful acceleration, with sustained investment in digital transformation, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity broadening demand across technology and outsourcing roles.
Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media & Entertainment (+23%) Strong corporate spend on digital marketing, performance media, and content continues to underpin healthy hiring across creative, media, and campaign functions.
Oil & Gas (+12%) Steady operational and project-related demand continues, with hiring holding positive even as capital discipline limits broader expansion.
Production/Manufacturing, Automotive & Ancillary (+11%) A solid annual gain as firms add capacity across manufacturing and processing roles to support active project pipelines and operational requirements.
Retail (+4%) A notable reversal from negative territory, with stabilising consumer demand and ongoing omnichannel expansion supporting a return to positive hiring activity.
BFSI (+3%) Hiring turns positive as financial institutions selectively expand in growth, compliance, and technology functions — a meaningful shift from recent consolidation.
Facing challenges
Hospitality & Travel (−2%) A marginal decline as operators continue to calibrate staffing levels following post-pandemic normalisation, with efficiency-led models limiting net additions.
Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
Functional hiring has broadened significantly, with 7 out of 10 areas recording year-on-year growth. Supply chain, engineering, and HR functions lead; customer service and hospitality roles remain under acute pressure.
In demand
Others (+33%) The top-performing functional category, with broad-based growth across support and operational roles reflecting wider market confidence.
Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+27%) Strong demand continues as companies expand supply chain resilience, procurement, and distribution capacity in line with trade and e-commerce momentum.
Engineering/Production (+16%) Solid growth aligned with sustained activity in construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors, with hiring supporting project execution and operational continuity.
HR & Admin (+13%) Renewed workforce expansion and compliance requirements are driving consistent demand for people management and administrative functions.
Marketing & Communications (+4%) Stable positive momentum as organisations continue to invest selectively in brand and performance marketing roles.
Sales & Business Development (+2%) A return to modest positive territory, with firms cautiously expanding frontline commercial capacity as broader confidence recovers.
Finance & Accounts (+1%) Marginal but positive, with organisations maintaining tightly managed financial control and compliance capabilities.
Facing challenges
IT (−4%) A modest functional pullback despite strong sector-level growth, suggesting demand is consolidating around specialist profiles rather than broad-based hiring.
Customer Service (−27%) Sustained pressure as automation tools, AI-led support models, and self-service adoption continue to hollow out demand for traditional customer service roles.
Hospitality Roles (−29%) The steepest functional decline, with staffing levels continuing to correct as operators pursue leaner cost structures 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.
