Over the last four years, the number of active job seekers in Malaysia has increased - and so has the number of jobs available for them to step into.

Data from Randstad's 2025 employer brand research shows that 35.2% of employees were planning to switch jobs in the first six months of this year, and going by the number who were able to find jobs in the preceding six months, at least 18% will succeed in doing so.

The research, which surveyed 2,588 respondents in Malaysia, found that both the number of aspiring job-switchers and the number of those who successfully changed jobs has been steadily increasing since 2021, indicating a growing job market that shows no signs of cooling down.

This is also more and more a candidates' market, amid growing expectations for work-life balance, career growth, and pay - perennial complaints among the workforce. But companies have clearly been stepping up over the last few years, reflected in a gradual decrease in the reasons for leaving. Randstad's data showed that compared to 2024, fewer respondents are leaving due to factors such as poor leadership, lack of career growth opportunities, and poor work-life balance. 

Still, work-life balance continues to be the top reason for leaving a job (47%) across all sectors, roles, and demographics, with poor career growth (35%) and inadequate pay (33%) coming second and third. But it's worth noting that 30% of respondents said they left because they received a great offer, suggesting that even as some companies lag behind in meeting employee expectations, others are quickly stepping in to snap up disgruntled talent.

Who's most in demand?

Sales and marketing professionals are the most likely to successfully land a new job, with 26% of respondents  in this field indicating they'd made the switch over the last year. Next most in demand is engineering at 21%. In both of these fields, the number of people who changed jobs actually increased year on year, almost doubling in the case of sales and marketing.

In comparison, 14% of admin/secretarial/HR and ICT professionals managed to find new jobs, but both these sectors saw a sharp drop (8% and 5% respectively) in the number of successful job-switchers. Increased automation, especially more advanced AI, may be one reason, as the technology not only alters the nature of these jobs but also changes the skill profile demanded and potentially decreases the demand for talent in those roles.