According to Jobstreet’s survey of more than 150,000 respondents from over 180 nations, KL also ranked fifth-most attractive among Asian cities, behind Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing.
Similarly, Malaysia’s ranking among the top countries foreign talents would relocate to dropped slightly from 19 last year to 21.
Sixty per cent of respondents who chose KL cited the quality of job opportunities available, while others cited financial benefits (53%) and perceived improvements to quality of life (49%).
“Cultural factors such as inclusiveness and family friendliness also play a significant role in attracting global talent,” said Jobstreet, which conducted the survey with Boston Consulting Group, The Network, and The Stepstone Group.
Of the respondents who expressed interest in migrating to Malaysia, most of them were from Asia-Pacific, with 11% each comprising workers from Indonesia and Singapore.
Jobstreet said Malaysia still retained appeal as a preferred work destination, particularly among those in Asia-Pacific, having consistently been among the top 30 countries since the survey began.
On the other hand, its survey of Malaysian workers found that a majority of respondents, 65%, were keen to work overseas. It said 70% of interviewees who expressed their willingness to migrate for work were young, while 65% were highly educated.
“This is a possible concern as it could result in Malaysia losing a valuable segment of its workforce,” it said.
However, it noted that the 65% was similar to the trend in other Southeast Asian countries (68%) as well as the global average of 63%.
“Students are the most willing to move abroad for work (83%) due to their flexibility and desire for new experiences.
“Respondents from high-skilled professions like law, engineering, and areas related to digitalisation, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) also showed a high willingness to relocate, indicating a threat of ‘brain drain’,” it said.
Among Malaysian respondents, their top picks of nations to migrate to were Australia (31%), Singapore (30%), the UK (14%), New Zealand (11%) and Japan (10%).
Twenty-nine per cent of the respondents who wanted to relocate said they were undecided on how long they would work abroad, 24% were planning to do so for more than three years, and only 8% wanted a short stint of less than a year.
“Financial and economic reasons are the primary considerations for Malaysians to move abroad (76%), much more pronounced compared with the Southeast Asian average (64%).
“We see a similar trend in lower income countries where higher wages are the main driver for relocating,” it said.