KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 17): Job advertisements in Malaysia grew by 48% last year over 2013 following the government’s initiatives to strengthen infrastructure and increase business operational efficiency, said recruitment consultancy firm Robert Walters.

“Malaysia is one of the fastest progressing markets in Southeast Asia. The government’s initiatives to strengthen infrastructure and increase business operational efficiency continues to attract increasing numbers of multinationals to the country.

“This explains the encouraging increases in job advertising volumes we have seen across 2014,” said Robert Walter’s Malaysia managing director Sally Raj in the firm’s Asia Job Index Q4 2014 report released today.

New shopping malls and the entry of more international brands, noted the recruitment consultancy firm, created a strong 31% increase in Q4 2014 over Q4 2013 for retail job advertising, particularly within the luxury and mass label markets.

Job advertising for marketing professionals grew a significant 55% in the quarter under review from Q4 2013 as more companies sought to attract consumers and drive sales.

“IT candidates remained in demand, with the shortage of technically skilled job applicants a key factor in the [Q4 2014] 75% rise in job advertising,” the firm noted.

It also said that Malaysia’s emerging status as a key manufacturing and logistics hub in Southeast Asia drove job advertising in logistics up 33% in the same period from 2013.

“Companies are continuously trying to reach out to top talent in the market. In order to ensure further growth, hiring managers are producing very strong retention strategies to keep their best performers,” said Sally.

“2015 will be an interesting year ahead as businesses have already expressed concerns around the goods and services tax (GST) to be implemented in April,” observed Sally.