KUALA LUMPUR: More than half or 60% of Malaysians use social media to search for jobs, ranking fourth in the world in terms of workers using social media to make career decisions.

This number far surpasses the global average, which is 36%, according to a survey conducted by Kelly Outsourcing & Consulting Group (KellyOCG).

This is an interesting development which companies, organisations and businesses should zero in to “attract, engage and retain” top talents, said the firm.

“The 2014 Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI) survey results saw an increasing number of employees using social media and online tools such as online talent communities, as the medium to [conduct] their career moves.

“This phenomenon is more [pronounced] in the Asia-Pacific, which stands out as a hotspot with over half (51%) of employees involving their social media network for employment decisions. This is significantly higher than Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) (34%) and the Americas (30%),” KellyOCG vice-president for Asia-Pacific, Anthony Raja Devadoss (pic), said in a statement yesterday.

According to the same survey, only 30% of the job positions in the Asia-Pacific, however, are secured through online.

“This opposing trend therefore warrants a rethink about how organisations engage the right talents. This is a pertinent issue as the worldwide talent gap continues to widen and projected to reach 81 million by 2018,” Devadoss said.

He added employers have a greater opportunity to engage in talents across “industries, occupations, countries and continents”.

Given these trends, companies should consider integrating social media and online tools to find new talents, Devadoss said.

“With a more open and networked business environment, employers have the chance to showcase available opportunities and become the preferred employer. This can improve the quality and speed of talent acquisition as well as retention rate.

“The concept of online talent community is still relatively new in Malaysia, but forward-thinking employers recognise it as the next [strategy for] sourcing and social recruiting,” Devadoss said.

KGWI is an annual global survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace. About 230,000 people across the Americas, EMEA and the Asia-Pacific region responded to this year’s survey, which was conducted online by RDA Group on behalf of Fortune 500 Kelly Services Inc.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 23, 2014.