KUALA LUMPUR (July 15): Skilled finance professionals are still highly demanded by employers in Malaysia, a quarterly report by Hays Plc has found.

The recruiting expert attributed this to employers growing their businesses and adding more value for clients.

“In an interesting trend, we’re seeing increased demand from shared services providers for candidates with commercial and audit skills, as opposed to pure shared services experience,” said Tom Osborne, Hays’s country manager, in a statemenmt today.

“This is because shared services centres are moving up the value chain and becoming less transactional,” he said.

Professionals were particularly sought after for positions of team leads and managers for accounts payable, accounts receivable and financial reporting in shared services centres, which have a positive outlook as international organisations seek to take advantage of local skilled labour and language capabilities.

However, the perception of working in shared services centres remains considerably poor in Malaysia, Tom said, recommending employers create career growth and development opportunities to help attract suitable candidates.

Meanwhile, the demand for tax managers in the commercial sector is set to continue till year end, following the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the need to establish an entire framework for businesses.

“There is also an increased demand for business controllers, especially within the plant environment, as investors recognise the potential to expand operations in Malaysia,” Tom said.

He added that financial planning and analysis professionals continue to be highly sought after within fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and other service industries, in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

In terms of candidate trends, Hays continues to see a preference from employers for local professionals with soft skills for most jobs.