The local employment market is likely to remain largely candidate-driven in 2015, with Malaysians returning from overseas as possible well-sought-after talents, according to Robert Walters (RW) in its latest annual Global Salary Survey report. The candidates on the radar screen of companies could be top performing professionals commanding multiple job opportunities and counter-offers.

The RW survey suggests that on average, professionals who secure new positions will expect a 10% to 20% salary increment in 2015.  However, they are likely to receive counter-offers, which could drive salaries up.

RW, a global professional recruitment company, noted that local companies have increasingly shown keen interest in hiring overseas nationals for their global exposure and knowledge of the domestic business culture. The return of these Malaysians is largely a result of the strong initiatives of government agency TalentCorp, which has persuaded talents working overseas to serve their home country under its Returning Expert Programme.

In 2014, these skilled candidates were particularly in demand in the IT, finance and banking sectors. “We expect to see a prevalent awareness for returning Malaysians in 2015, which will widen the local talent pool,” RW said.

RW country manager Sally Raj said, "Malaysia enjoyed healthy growth due to expansion within the shared services industry and the entrance of multinational hubs. This was largely attributed to the government's policies, which make it easier to set up business operations. As a result, we saw more intense competition among organisations for top talents.

“To address the demand for quality Malaysian professionals in a limited candidate pool, companies have turned their attention to attracting talents based overseas to strengthen the domestic workforce."

RW also said tax professionals with experience in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and transfer pricing will be in high demand this year. Due to talent scarcity in the area of GST, employers may consider candidates with a background in corporate tax.