Hays : Business-minded HR professionals hot property in Malaysia this quarter

From devising talent management strategies to developing the capabilities of the workforce, HR talent with a head for business are in demand this quarter, according to recruitment experts Hays.

The latest Hays Quarterly Report for Malaysia reveals the HR recruitment market from January to March will see good levels of both replacement roles and new head count come to market as companies look to gain a commercial advantage through effective people strategies.

'Demand for HR business partners over the January to March quarter in particular is nothing short of huge,' says Tom Osborne, Regional Director of Hays in Malaysia.

'Many companies are telling us they want to see HR play a more direct and tactical role within their organisation at a business function or department level,' says Tom.

'HR business partners who possess strong commercial acumen and have a proven record of stakeholder engagement and influencing skills as well as the ability to set and drive the organisation's 'people agenda' are in high demand this quarter.'

Talent management is a particular hot button issue with companies looking to recruit HR talent to help them attract and retain the best talent whatever the role or seniority.

'Malaysian employers want to make sure their employees are nurtured, developed and retained so they don't lose great people to competitors,' says Tom. 'This puts HR professionals in the box seat to help companies realise this key business goal.'

Learning & development professionals are also in strong demand this quarter particularly those with a proven track record of developing learning programs aligned to growing internal talent and also succession planning.

Other roles in demand include senior compensation & benefits specialists, performance management experts and those able to derive maximum benefit from HR information systems to achieve greater automation and or process improvements and greater efficiencies.

Organisations are also looking to make a greater investment in their inclusion and diversity programs this quarter and thus are on the hunt for the right employee engagement specialists to manage this activity.

On the candidate side, Hays has seen increased interest in HR generalist and HR business partner roles.

'We talk regularly with HR talent and candidates are telling us that they regard HR generalist or business partner roles as an effective way to deepen their business knowledge and gain experience in all areas of HR to grow their careers,' says Tom.

To read the full Hays Quarterly Report, including candidate and employer trends and future issues, please visit https://www.hays.com.my/report/index.htm

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Hays is located in Kuala Lumpur at Suite 4 & 5, Level 23, Menara 3, Petronas, Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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About Hays
Hays plc (the 'Group') is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Asia Pacific and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2016 the Group employed 9,214 staff operating from 252 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2016:

- the Group reported net fees of £810.3 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £181 million;
- the Group placed around 67,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 220,000 people into temporary assignments;
- 22% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific, 45% in Continental Europe & RoW (CERoW) and 33% in the United Kingdom & Ireland;
- the temporary placement business represented 58% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 42% of net fees;
- Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.