{"id":55880,"date":"2026-10-30T15:51:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/?p=55880"},"modified":"2026-10-30T15:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:21:20","slug":"foundit-insights-tracker-malaysia-aug-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/foundit-insights-tracker-malaysia-aug-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaysia&#8217;s Hiring Landscape in August 2026: foundit Insights Tracker"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Overview of hiring activity<\/strong>&nbsp;<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Malaysia&rsquo;s online hiring activity cooled further in August 2026, though annual demand remained strong. The foundit Insights Tracker rose <strong>27% year-on-year<\/strong>, the slowest annual gain since March. Month-on-month, hiring fell <strong>7%<\/strong>, the second consecutive monthly decline, leaving the index 12% below its June peak.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>The shorter-term trend has softened: hiring is down <strong>7%<\/strong> over the last three months, while the six-month gain has narrowed to <strong>13%<\/strong>. The annual expansion remains investment-led. Hyperscale data-centre construction in Johor and Selangor, a semiconductor and electronics investment surge in Penang, and a heavy public infrastructure programme continue to pull in construction, engineering, technology, and logistics talent.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, the market remains resilient but highly selective, balancing record-high total employment with a sharp structural shift toward high-value, digital, and multi-skilled roles.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Growth remains broad-based on an annual basis. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>8 of the 10 industries<\/strong> tracked by the Index registered year-on-year growth in August 2026, and <strong>7 of the 10 functional areas<\/strong> hired above year-ago levels. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Hospitality &amp; Travel and Retail were the two industries below year-ago levels. On the functional side, Sales &amp; Business Development, Hospitality Roles, and Customer Service were in decline.&nbsp;<\/p><div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file aligncenter\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fit_MY_August_26-1.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of &lt;strong&gt;Malaysia Hiring Trends in August_26&lt;\/strong&gt;.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-ef93f5d8-c5b8-42da-bbb8-fede2856f312\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fit_MY_August_26-1.pdf\"><strong>Malaysia Hiring Trends in August_26<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/fit_MY_August_26-1.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-ef93f5d8-c5b8-42da-bbb8-fede2856f312\">Download<\/a><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hiring trends by industry (year-on-year change)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Infrastructure, logistics, and technology led the market in August, while retail and hospitality were the only industries hiring below year-ago levels.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Engineering, Construction and Real Estate (+38%)<\/strong> led all industries for a third consecutive month, supported by the hyperscale data-centre build-out in Johor and Selangor and a public infrastructure pipeline that continues to absorb site, civil, and project management roles.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Logistics, Courier\/Freight\/Transportation, Shipping\/Marine (+35%)<\/strong> rose to second place on e-commerce volume growth and continued investment in warehousing and last-mile networks. Much of the annual jump reflects a weak year-ago comparison, since the industry itself was up only 1% over the month.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>IT, Telecom\/ISP and <strong><strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/search\/bpo-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>BPO<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/strong>\/ITES (+24%)<\/strong> held a solid annual gain as cloud, AI infrastructure, and semiconductor design work continued across Johor, Cyberjaya, and Penang, though hiring eased 4% over the month.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Production\/Manufacturing, Automotive and Ancillary (+16%)<\/strong> tracked the manufacturing build-out in Penang and was the strongest monthly performer (+2%). &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/search\/oil-gas-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oil &amp; Gas<\/a><\/strong> (+16%)<\/strong> remained well above year-ago levels on a higher project base carried over from late last year. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Advertising, Market Research, PR, Media and Entertainment (+7%)<\/strong> and <strong>BFSI (+3%)<\/strong> posted the narrowest gains, with BFSI easing 6% over the month as compliance, risk, and technology hiring lost pace.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hospitality &amp; Travel (&minus;19%)<\/strong> fell for a fourth consecutive month as hotels and travel operators staff lean against softer arrivals. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Retail (&minus;23%)<\/strong> was the weakest industry, falling a further 11% over the month to its lowest level since May 2023, as retailers pare back store and merchandising hiring amid soft discretionary spending.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hiring trends by functional area (year-on-year change)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hiring activity exceeded year-ago levels in 7 of the 10 functional areas in August 2026, with supply chain roles leading and customer-facing and commercial functions weakest.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Purchase\/Logistics\/Supply Chain (+40%)<\/strong> recorded the highest annual hiring growth for a ninth consecutive month, as logistics networks, manufacturing supply chains, and e-commerce distribution expand together.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong><strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/search\/production-engineering-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Engineering\/Production<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> (+9%)<\/strong> tracked the construction and manufacturing build-out and held flat over the month. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>HR &amp; Admin (+8%)<\/strong> rose as employers kept adding recruitment, workforce management, and compliance capacity to support the pace of hiring elsewhere. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong><strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/search\/marketing-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marketing &amp; Communications<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> (+5%)<\/strong> grew as brands kept campaign work in-house.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Finance &amp; Accounts (+4%)<\/strong> and <strong>Software, Hardware &amp; Telecom (+2%)<\/strong> posted modest gains. Software was the only named function to add hiring over the month (+2%), yet technology hiring is now weighted towards infrastructure and field roles rather than software headcount.&nbsp;<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sales &amp; Business Development (&minus;9%)<\/strong> fell below year-ago levels and eased 6% over the month alongside the retail slowdown. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Hospitality Roles (&minus;44%)<\/strong> and <strong>Customer Service (&minus;65%)<\/strong> were the weakest, as hotels staff to softer arrivals and AI-driven self-service trims frontline support headcount. Both indices are in single digits, so small changes in postings produce large percentage swings, and Customer Service is also measured against an unusually high year-ago reading. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>Overall, hiring is strongest where physical infrastructure is being built and where supply chains absorb the output, while commercial and consumer-facing roles carried the month&rsquo;s weakness.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About foundit<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">foundit (formerly Monster APAC &amp; ME) is a leading talent platform that provides comprehensive hiring solutions across India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. With over 20 years of experience, it has transformed the recruitment landscape through AI-driven job matching, candidate insights, and end-to-end hiring support. Serving millions of jobseekers and thousands of employers, foundit is committed to enabling smarter and faster hiring decisions across the region.&nbsp;<\/p><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview of hiring activity&nbsp;Malaysia&rsquo;s online hiring activity cooled further in August 2026, though annual demand remained strong. The foundit Insights Tracker rose 27% year-on-year, the slowest annual gain since March. Month-on-month, hiring fell 7%, the second consecutive monthly decline, leaving the index 12% below its June peak.&nbsp;&nbsp;The shorter-term trend has softened: hiring is down 7% &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/foundit-insights-tracker-malaysia-aug-2026\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Malaysia&#8217;s Hiring Landscape in August 2026: foundit Insights Tracker<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":48300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights-tracker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55882,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55880\/revisions\/55882"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.foundit.my\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}