Overview of Hiring Activity
Malaysia’s online hiring activity declined by 4% month-on-month in November 2025, reflecting cautious hiring sentiment as employers calibrate workforce plans amid cost pressures and uneven demand signals.
The broader trend remains soft but relatively steady in the short term: hiring is down 3% over the last 3 months and 5% over the last 6 months, while remaining 11% lower year-on-year—indicating that hiring has cooled versus last year, even as a few sectors continue to expand.
Notably, the market shows a clear split: construction/real estate, logistics, and hospitality are growing strongly YoY, while BFSI, retail, and customer service roles remain under sustained pressure.
Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)
Industry movement is uneven, with infrastructure- and logistics-linked sectors showing strength, while finance, retail, and parts of media remain subdued.
In demand
- Logistics, Courier/Freight/Transportation, Shipping/Marine (+25%)
Continued momentum points to sustained movement in supply chains, fulfilment, and transport-linked operations.
- Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+20%)
Strong YoY expansion indicates steady project activity and ongoing infrastructure and build cycles.
- Hospitality & Travel (+15%)
Hiring remains elevated year-on-year, supported by travel demand and tourism-linked services.
Facing challenges
- BFSI (−18%)
The sharpest industry decline, reflecting cost rationalisation and tighter hiring budgets.
- Retail (−19%)
Lower YoY activity suggests cautious expansion and measured staffing in consumer-facing formats.
- IT, Telecom/ISP & BPO/ITES (−11%)
Despite strong near-term gains (+6% MoM, +9% over 6M), annual hiring remains lower, indicating selective recovery rather than a full rebound.
- Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media & Entertainment (−8%)
A steep −23% MoM and −23% over 3M contraction signals a near-term pullback in this segment.
- Oil & Gas (−10%)
Slight MoM improvement (+2%) but YoY remains negative, suggesting steady operations with limited net additions.
- Production/Manufacturing/Automotive (−3%)
Mild decline indicates stable but cautious plant and production hiring.
- Others (+1%)
Broad niche categories are roughly flat YoY, but sharply down in the short term (−21% MoM), indicating volatility across smaller segments.
- Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)
Functional hiring shows sharp divergence: IT and HR are improving, while customer service, finance, and hospitality roles remain weak.
In demand
- IT (+2%)
Strong short-term momentum (+15% MoM, +18% over 3M, +14% over 6M) suggests improving tech demand even though the overall market is softer.
- Marketing & Communications (+2%)
Modest growth indicates stable demand for brand, content, and digital roles.
- HR & Admin (+14%)
Positive YoY growth, despite small short-term softness, suggests renewed hiring for support and staffing functions.
- Engineering/Production (+5%)
Stable growth aligns with the strength seen in construction and logistics-linked sectors.
- Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain (+8%)
Continued demand supports operational continuity across procurement and supply chain functions.
Facing challenges
- Customer Service (−43%)
The steepest decline across functions, with sustained weakness over 6 months (−33%) indicating significant contraction or restructuring in service staffing models.
- Hospitality Roles (−38%)
While the industry is up YoY, role-level hiring remains sharply lower—suggesting demand may be concentrated in specific sub-functions or seasonal staffing rather than broad role expansion.
- Finance & Accounts (−20%)
Persistent declines reflect automation of routine work and tighter cost controls.
- Sales & Business Development (−7%)
Continued moderation suggests cautious expansion in frontline revenue roles.
- Others (−9%)
Broad-based softness persists across miscellaneous functions.
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.
