While we all wish ‘leg-shaking’ and ‘staring off into space’ could be considered forms of gainful employment, the job market seems to have a fetish for gung-ho toilers keen on filling more substantial roles. Prospective employers have always played favourites towards certain positions, but the professions ‘du jour’ tend to change from year to year, depending largely on the state of the economy. So, which workers will be the fashionable human resource must-haves among Malaysian companies in 2016?
Data Scientists
Annual median pay: RM407,000 (according to Payscale)
Recommended degree courses: Computer Science and IT and/or Statistics
The demand for data scientists is expected to skyrocket this year, with organizations ranging from small startups to giant multinationals scrambling to woo professionals who can convert massive chunks of data into usable information.
Web Designers and Developers
Annual median pay: RM52,800 (according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended degree courses: Computer Science and IT
Crystal ball-gazing reveals that employment in this field will mushroom by more than 20% in the coming decade. Companies have an insatiable appetite for professionals who not only design and construct websites, but also create and manage e-commerce portals.
Environmental and Waste Management Engineers
Annual median pay: RM51,888 (according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended Courses: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Waste Management
With the global move towards sustainable living practices, and the fight against environmental degradation and climate change picking up, environmental concerns are increasingly defining the ways in which companies do business.
Personal Financial Advisers
Annual median pay: RM66,000 (according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended Courses: Accounting and Finance, Economics, Business and Management, Business Administration, Statistics, Mathematics
The need for worker bees in this field will burgeon by 30% over the coming decade. The rise might even be steeper in 2016 in particular – with Malaysia’s economic prospects getting cloudier by the day, the average Joe will require the wise counsel of prudent financial planners to scrape by.
Personal and Home Care Aides
Annual median pay: RM49,200* (*nurses only, according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended Courses: Health and Medicine, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Recreational Therapy, Geriatric Medicine, Social Work
The number of senior citizens worldwide has more than tripled since 1950; it will almost triple again by 2050. A commensurate rise in the demand for professionals who can care for the elderly and infirm is predicted.
Marketing Managers
Annual median pay: RM96,000 (according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended Courses: Computer Science and IT, Multimedia, Marketing, Mass Communication & Media, Public Relations, Business and Management
The ongoing explosive growth in digital marketing means that Marketing Managers are now all the rage. Professionals expected to go far this year are those with insights into search engine optimisation (SEO), pay per click (PPC) marketing, content management, and user experience interface.
Information Security Analyst
Annual median pay: RM61,200 (according to JobStreet.my)
Recommended Courses: Computer Science and IT, Information Systems
The atmospheric rise in cloud-based computing is driving a rush for Information Security Analysts. With companies fretting that supply can’t meet snowballing demand, professionals in this field have the upper hand in job and salary negotiations.
*Based on an article first published by Lyn Cacha in www.easyuni.my.