Essential Tips for IT Professionals on Successful Remote Working​In response to the current COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak in Malaysia, many companies are requiring all of their employees to work from home.​If you are an IT professional, working remotely does provide some advantages such as saving time and money by eliminating commuting, but it can also increase stress levels. ​Although some IT roles in theory can be executed at home, for many, this is an unexpected development they may be unprepared for.​Working remotely can be challenging under normal circumstances—but for those doing so for the first time or adjusting to sharing their home office with children, spouses or roommates—it is important to create structure and expectations. This applies to your colleagues and also within your home.​Potential challenges you can face working remotely:​Lack of colleagues and managers to collaborate with and stay on taskWorking too many hours as a result of an increased workload to support colleagues with technologies to work from homeManaging work/life balance and establishing boundaries to limit distractionsLack of face-to-face interaction, increased feelings of isolation and decreased motivation and trustPotential for miscommunication, especially with less tech savvy colleagues due to lack of non-verbal cues​​Essential Tips for IT Professionals on Successful Remote Working​In addition to any best practices your company will share relative to specific requirements for your technology and cybersecurity, the following tips enable optimal productivity:​​1. Prepare for SuccessCreate your workspace. Establish a dedicated work environment that is free from distractions. ​Consider logging out of all social accounts during work (unless necessary for your job). If sharing a space with others, lay ground rules and expectations for noise levels and break times.​Evaluate and upgrade your home technology if possible. Consider increasing or boosting your Internet bandwidth especially if you have multiple people accessing your network at the same time. ​Avoid burnouts and establish set working hours. Develop a routine where you “start (and end) your work day.” ​Potentially schedule a recurring meeting each morning to ensure you start your day on time. ​Similarly, log out and log off at the end of your work day.​2. Stay ConnectedHold daily check-ins with your team mates. Maintain open and frequent communication with your manager, colleagues and those who report to you. ​If you are a manager or a team lead, hold regular meetings with team members. Establish expectations for response times to emails and phone calls while utilizing out of office reminders or notifications if you will be away from your desk for extended periods of time.​Leverage multiple technology platforms. Phone, email and chat are likely standard in your work life. ​Using video conferencing may enable feeling more connected and decrease isolation.​Be productive and proactive. Plan to deliver the same productivity that you do when you are in the office. Have your manager or colleagues hold you accountable. ​Alert colleagues if you anticipate delays in your work or if you are collaborating on a group project.​Be strategic in your time allocation for troubleshooting especially if you are working in your company’s IT support desk.​Understand that most of your colleagues are likely to have questions and troubleshooting requirements. ​Prioritize addressing show stoppers and get directions from your leadership on the current company focus areas.​​3. Manage Your TimePractice effective time management. As you adjust to your new environment, you will establish peak performance times such as early morning before other family members are awake. Find the times that work best for you to maximize your productivity.​Build in time for the unexpected. If you build in extra time for unanticipated work demands, you will be less stressed if and when this happens. Set aside time and you can always reallocate it to get ahead on a project if no emergencies pop up.​Take breaks. Step away from your work area for 10-15 minute breaks every two hours. Take a short walk, read a quick article, check in with your family members or other friends working remotely. This shift in your focus will make you more productive when you return to work.​Be flexible and patient. This is even more essential now that you are working from home. As your company is responding to properly equip the newly remote workforce, there may be delays in responses from colleagues or a lag in technology.​​6 April 2020Posted by:Mohammad Kashif - Senior Marketing Executive​

This is what corona means for your IT departmentDue to COVID-19, also known as the corona virus, certain tech trends have been shifted into high gear. Others, on the other hand, are being revised. ​That is happening now, all at the same time. One of the trends that now poses challenges is working remotely. But what does the corona virus mean for your IT department? ​And how do you respond to the fact that more and more employees will be (mandatorily) working from home? We will tell you all about it in this blog. Good news and less good newsLet's start with positive news first. Because luckily the number of corona infections is decreasing in China! It therefore seems that all the measures taken have had an effect. ​According to the Chinese health commission, the peak of the epidemic in the country is over. In time, a vaccine will be made available, and this virus will be manageable. But unfortunately, we are also dealing with bad news. And that relates to the present. At the time of writing this blog, there are already more than 200,000 infected corona patients in the world. ​Media coverage is mainly about people who have died or are sick. But also about fear and panic, cities in lock down, cancellation of flights, cancelled events... and we are not yet even talking about the economic impact, not to mention what it means for our industry. Accelerated IT trends due to coronaThe impact of the corona virus is clearly visible in the IT industry. The demand for chat and video software is huge right now. ​Various software packages are also being temporarily offered for free to facilitate working remotely. ​In addition, the Google I/O developer conference has been cancelled, Microsoft decided to turn its annual MVP Global Summit into a virtual conference and Amazon employees are being asked to test their VPN connections in the office, for the sake of preparedness. In fact, a number of industry companies indicate that the corona outbreak is the test case for replacing traditional office work. ​Twitter thus launched their work-from-home policy. Chief HR Officer Jennifer Christie told BuzzFeed News that the corona virus will have lasting effects on the way their employees now work. For example, she expects people who were reluctant to work from home to become accustomed to it.And managers who thought it was impossible to manage a remote team will find ways to do it. Therefore, it is expected that the trend of decreasing work in the traditional way in the office will now really take off. These are the measures you can take nowDo you have doubts whether your IT department is well prepared for the corona virus? Then you would do well to look at the measures that you can take right now. ​Consider, for example, providing the necessary hardware such as laptops and telephones. But also look at the software: does everyone have access to the right programs? And what about security? Is there a secure VPN connection? In addition, the continuity of your organization is important. Because what do you do with employees who are a single point of knowledge? ​If a System Administrator gets sick, is there anyone who can handle that work? One solution that provides continuity in this regard is to work with an external party for support. In doing so, you also build up a knowledge base in the long term, on which you can always rely. When users work from home, you have to realize that the problems that normally occur in the workplace now shift to home. Can they still receive support from the Service Desk? ​This goes beyond the action instructions to which Service Desk employees were accustomed. Because what do you do if a user, for example, does not have sufficient bandwidth? If you have not yet arranged this, it is certainly not too late. As long as there are staff on the work floor, there is time to organize this properly. ​For advice on how to deal with the corona virus as an IT department and what it takes to facilitate working remotely, you can contact us by filling the form below without any obligation. ​Submit your details for free support:​​

​As a talent leader, you have probably noticed that today a growing number of Malaysians are opting for alternative models over traditional, full-time, permanent roles. Part-time, contingent, contract, temporary, freelance, independent contractor, on demand online and platform working are on the rise. This development can be called as “NextGen Work”. Businesses and people want choice, flexibility and alternative ways of working that build resilience for less predictable futures. ​Globally 87% of workers are open for NextGen Work, 80% of workers say that NextGen Work is about learning and using new skills, 90% of Next Gen Workers enjoy it, and 81% of NextGen Workers choose it not because it is the last resort. ​​In Malaysia, the youth is becoming increasingly drawn to the gig economy lifestyle, which is all about freelance gigs and short-term jobs where “giggers” are free to choose where, when and how they work. Mirroring global statistics, 68% of freelancers in Malaysia choose to freelance in spite the availability of full time jobs. ​This uptake for freelance jobs was reported by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) in August 2017 as the Malaysian freelancing economy growth increased by 31%.​Why is this uptake you might ask? Well NextGen Work allows you to supplement income over the short-term, provides freedom to explore different roles and develop in-demand skills to be more employable over the long-term. You can also control where, when and how to work, potentially reducing stress and allowing flexibility for Life Work Balance.​​So, if there is such an increased interest in NextGen work, if your company ready to adopt new work models? Here are initial questions you might want to consider:​1. Where to start with NextGen Work Models?If your organization is new to the concept of NextGen Work, it will be useful to try different models in controlled environments. These will present themselves as case studies as to whether to expand the approach or try a different one. ​It will also be useful to see what types of work models do your current employees prefer. You wouldn’t want to spend time and effort on developing work models that no one wants. ​If your company has already adopted some forms of NextGen Work, you can start looking at ways to replicate elements of what has worked into new models. For example, if you currently employ contractors, perhaps it will be good to look at freelancers to assist certain projects. ​2. How to measure performance of Gig workers? One of the questions we get from employers is how to track performance from someone who works from home for example? Well, for us, performance is determined by results and not by the duration a person spends in a workplace. ​To adopt NextGen Work models, you should revisit the methods applied in employees’ appraisals and KPI setup activities. You will most likely need to develop individualized performance plans for every employee. It should be based on clear and transparent deliverables for which the employee is accountable for. ​3. Are your compensation schemes ready?Just as you are revisiting performance measurement, you will need to tie performance metrics to compensation packages. In many instances this might require a renegotiation exercise with your staff. If done efficiently, this can prove to be a valuable opportunity to increase employee performance, satisfaction, and at the same time reduce costs. ​For example, a working mother might willingly accept to reduce her basic salary if she works from home since she will be saving on transportation and occasional child day care services. ​Basically rewarding staff should be based contribution rather than other factors such as title, or tenure.​4. Do you have the necessary infrastructure to support the new work models? NextGen Work is enabled by technology. Adopting new work models will require your organization to have an IT infrastructure that can support this transformation. Cloud services for file sharing and collaboration will be of paramount importance. Applications that will enable performance measurement and remote access to internal databases will definitely be another consideration. All of that should be covered with solid Cyber Security policies and tools. ​5. What is your leaders’ sense of urgency? A key question to address if you want to initiate and change process. Without the leaderships’ buy in, it will be unlikely to transform such a critical component of any organization. Chances are, if your organization has no forms of NextGen Work models so far, your leaders are probably lacking the sense of urgency. So you will have to spend some time to develop a compelling case to convince them with your plan. ​Answering the above questions will give you an indication of where your company stands and where are the gaps that need to be addressed prior to initiating new work models. ​Providing access to the labor market. Filling the void of career guidance. Boosting incomes. Supplementing pensions. Providing labor market mobility for people and business. Offering life-work balance for long careers. Nurturing learnability. Preparing people for disruption from technology, automation and globalization. Developing in-demand skills, on-the-job. This is why people are choosing NextGen Work. And this is why business leaders and policy makers must collaborate to find the best balance of flexibility and responsibility. ​To know more about NextGen Work models, visit: https://www.manpowergroup.com/workforce-insights/world-of-work/gig-responsibly-the-next-gen-at-work​

Realizing the importance of digital transformation for your company, we developed the Digital Evolution Pathway assessment. It is a tool to help your company benchmark where you are in the digital transformation journey.​Value of Digital TransformationEvery organization and every person has been impacted with the digital disruptions over the last decade. Companies, big and small from the east and to the west are on a digital transformation journey. ​We have no doubt technology opens doors for you to endless opportunities. It changes the way you build relations with your clients, execute strategies, set business frameworks and much more. Efficiencies are demonstrated across all business sectors and operational units with many ROI case studies. ​It is no surprise that 87% of companies believe that digital transformation is a competitive opportunity. ​So in 2020 you have probably no question over whether digital transformation is the right thing to do. But you are probably asking yourself how quickly and effectively your company can achieve it.​You are not alone. Back in 2016, 85% of enterprise decision makers felt they had a timeframe of two years to make significant inroads on their digital transformation before suffering financially and/or falling behind their competitors. ​Transformation Cycles Digital transformation is driving new value for customers and employees, enabling them to be more competitive because they are more adaptive and able to anticipate their circumstances by leveraging both internal and external data differently.​In the industrial revolution, it took industry about 30-years to fully realize the value of transformation. When computers entered the workforce, it took about 10-years. Those cycles are becoming shorter and shorter. With big data, connected enterprises and digital threads the environment will become even more complex, but richer data and insights will drive innovation, efficiencies and ultimately ROI for companies that have successfully transformed.​Digital Transformation Touch Points The potential areas for your company to impact with digital transformation are virtually endless. It is an integrated approach that combines software, data, interfaces and controls to design, model, simulate, analyze, control, share and manage the creation, delivery and performance of your products and services. ​So evolving through this journey involves the strategy, culture, technology and embedded processes within your organization. That will touch every aspect of your company, and become the way that it functions. ​Digital Evolution Pathway AssessmentWith a holistic understanding of what organizations need to transform, we realize the progression needed to accelerate Digital Transformation. Organizations must take note of where they are in their digital transformation so that they can identify and address their gaps to achieve ROI more quickly.​We developed the Digital Evolution Pathway assessment to help you benchmark where is your company in the digital transformation journey, with Workforce Transformation as a critical enabler.​Organizations must understand the underlying skills and behaviors needed at each stage of maturity.​Backed with that information we can assist you with all aspects of talent strategy, from workforce planning, to assessing and upskilling leaders and individuals, to connecting your company with the skills needed to accelerate innovation.​By benchmarking your organizations’ digital maturity, we offer practical advice on how to transform Strategy, Culture, Practices and Technology. ​Take your assessment now: https://www.digipathway.com/​

Robot workers replacing human jobs – the debate of the decade. All around the world companies and individuals alike are concerned with the impact of automation on the future of work. ​In Malaysia chances are 11- 54% of current jobs will significantly affected in the next two decades by automation. However, we have good news for you. Our global research shows more employers than ever, 87%, plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation. ​Rather than reducing employment opportunities, organizations are investing in digital, shifting tasks to robots and creating jobs. At the same time, companies are scaling their upskilling so their human workforce can perform new and complementary roles to those done by machines.​Companies that are digitizing and investing in IT technologies are growing. That growth is producing more and new kinds of jobs. Those organizations that are already automating tasks and progressing their digital and IT transformation are also most confident of increasing headcount. 24% of those companies say they expect to create more jobs in the next two years.​Only 12% of those that are automating say they will reduce headcount, while 3% are not sure what the future holds.​However, as you might expect, while overall employers are looking to increase their employment, automation is changing the skills companies need from workers. It is estimated for example that in Malaysia 80% of the jobs at high risk of being displaced by technology are those that are semi-skilled.​For example, our report shows that the demand for IT skills is growing significantly and with speed. 16% of companies expect to increase headcount in IT - five times more than expect a decrease. ​Meanwhile the availability of tech talent is increasingly scarce, and the education and experience employers require versus what exists is presenting a mismatch. This reality is as true in Malaysia as around the world. ​So what does this mean to your organization? Chances are you have experienced a very urgent need to ensure there are highly-skilled workers capable of driving innovation and supporting your company’s future. ​With talent shortages at a 12-year high, and new skills appearing as quickly as old ones disappear, more companies are planning to build talent than ever before, and this is projected to increase by 2020. ​Companies are realizing they can no longer expect to find just-in-time talent, on tap. We found that 84% of organizations globally expect to be upskilling their workforce by 2020. ​Interestingly, demand for tech and digital skills is growing across all functions, yet employers place increasing value on human skills as automation scales and machines prove better at routine tasks. ​While 38% of organizations say it is difficult to train in-demand technical skills, 43% said it is even harder to teach the soft skills they need such as analytical thinking and communication.​So if you want to really compete in the Skills Revolution, you need to promote a culture of learning, provide career guidance and offer short, focused upskilling opportunities. ​People need to know how to prepare for high growth roles of the future and that their employer supports their learning to stay relevant in this rapidly changing world of work. ​

​When the world is constantly changing, naturally you face a challenge of staying relevant in the job market. ​Day in, day out, articles online speak about robots taking over and AI replacing humans in the workplace. Companies and countries alike are looking into ways to develop their workforce and equip them with skills of the future. ​Similar to what you are facing as a job seeker, organisations are The fundamental reason is that similarly as the world is changing, so are our future employer. They have unmistakably more diversions, decisions, openings, and approaches to convey on how exactly how solid the point of staying relevant in this digital presence to get the job that can increase your long term income potential.​Ways to stay relevant professionally​1. Take control of your educationEmployers feel that the content and quality of local university education do not satisfactorily plan students for the workforce. 90 percent of all organizations over-viewed feel that universities ought to give students increasingly reasonable preparing, while 80 percent imagine that universities ought to consider changing university educational programs to mirror the realities of the labour market.We are now in a society which many jobs and careers require additional education or training beyond formal education. We have to move away from an idea that students finish learning when their formal education ends and they enter the work world. Instead, working individuals have to update their skills, continuously learning and adapting to stay relevant in the digital economy. 2. Keeping your skills set current, updating your resumeHighlight ongoing skills development. Include a separate section in the resume to detail courses you’ve recently completed or another way you’ve shown initiative in acquiring new skills. You can also update your online platforms, like LinkedIn, with details of courses you’ve recently completed, certifications achieved, and otherlearning initiatives. Remaining current in your field will require a solid blend of hard skills, for example, computer programs and the specialized ability expected to carry out your job, and soft-skills abilities, for example, general industry learning and communications skills.  3. Build a networkBased on the research by McKinsey Global Institute, more than 1.5 billion people around the world have an account on a social networking site. It is observed by that 72 percent of companies are having strong social presence and is even expecting every employee to stay relevant in social networks. Make friends across generation.Making friends with people who aren’t in your age group can help you communicate with a wider variety of people. Many organisations are looking to hire candidates who bring a strong network with them. It’s also useful to have a network you can tap into to help you understand and solve problems and to support you in learning new skills. Proactive about linking skills development to promotions. As a conclusion, adapting yourself with relevant skills can help you to be more competent than others. As mentioned in Economic Report 2018 by Ministry of Finance Malaysia, the demand for skilled and multi-skilled employees will continue to rise in the coming years with the increase in automation and introduction of latest technologies. Building your network by enhancing your social skills to talk with a various group can help you to excel in communication skills. If you want to get a promotion, linking all your skills development to the correct skillset of that position can help you get promoted thus, strive in this current digital economy.

​IT jobs such as Software Developers, Computer Network Professionals, System Analysts, and Application Programmers have appeared in every Critical Occupation List (COL) since 2015. ​The COL, published by Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) and TalentCorp Malaysia, shows occupations that are skilled, sought-after, and strategic across 18 sectors in Malaysia. ​It also identifies shortages in occupations that are sought-after by employers. Occupations such as for Mathematicians Actuaries & Statisticians (with job titles such as data analysts, data scientists and big data analysts) point to a shift in Malaysia’s needs towards jobs required to meet Industrial Revolution 4.0.​In the News Straits Times newspaper article titled ‘Jobs of the future: Top five emerging careers’, Geh Thuan Hooi, The Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management human resource adviser had said “With the advent of Industry 4.0 where artificial intelligence (AI) will replace many present jobs, anything related to data analytics, information technology and robotics are good fields to venture into”. ​He also said that, “Jobs requiring a high sense of creativity and decisiveness will be much sought after. Those with a strong mind-set, who are persistent and not afraid to fail, as well as team players will make it in the future”.​Moreover, Malaysia’s top five emerging jobs were all related to the tech industry as reported by LinkedIn in its report titled 2019 Emerging Jobs in Malaysia. ​It analysed “millions” of job titles by LinkedIn users in Malaysia in 2013 and 2017 and then grouped them into common job roles and counted how frequently a particular job role appeared in 2013 versus 2017.​The report identified five future jobs in Malaysia which are Data Scientist, Full Stack Engineer, Drive Test Engineer, User Experience (UX) designer and Content Writer. ​Knowing what the market demands now and in the coming couple of years, will help you upskill to remain relevant in the workforce. ​Here are the 5 jobs identified by LinkedIn:​Data Scientist​Data Scientists analyse and interpret data of a business. They can help local companies innovate with data and build Malaysia into a global hub for data analytics.​Full Stack Engineer​Some might argue that a full stack engineer is quite similar to a UX designer. However at the core, a UX designer might not even touch a single line of code. A full stack engineer on the other hand has the skills to convert processes and design ideas into functional applications. ​He or she helps businesses to go digital from start to finish, including creating apps and websites. Increasingly it is expected of them to have soft skills to facilitate communication and project management. ​Drive Test Engineer​For drive test engineers, the emergence of mobile and broadband is increasing their demand in the market. Companies need help to troubleshoot problems and improve network coverage based on the data gathered from telco networks. ​UX Designer​As many businesses move their operation online, UX designers will fulfill business needs to develop processes, and in many cases layouts, for applications. UX designers need to be up to date on the latest user behaviors and optimise applications for a great user experience.​Content Writer​The popularity of social media is great for content writers as they can use their journalism and publishing backgrounds to create compelling and engaging content. ​To conclude, keep yourself updated on the latest market developments and the skills that are in demand to stay releveant for your current or potential employers. ​Remember, the tech world is constantly evolving. What is in demand today, might no longer be needed tomorrow. Therefore one of the key skills you want to nurture is your constant ability to learn and adapt to changing circumstances. ​

​With so much time we spend on social media and our increased usage of this platform for news and other information, it's not surprising that many of us rely on social media ads as a key new way to find jobs. ​Job hunting through social media can take place on any platform but LinkedIn may be the first social network most people think of when it comes to a career change. However, Facebook has come up with a job board feature, where companies can post jobs directly to their company page or a specific job pages. ​Job seekers can apply to the jobs immediately through Facebook. So it means that branding can take place on any platform, from Facebook, to Instagram, to Twitter and many more.​For job seekers, here are tips to maximize positive exposure through strategically using social media channels.​Complete A Social Media Audit​First, are your social media profiles public or private? You should scan of your social media footprint and take note of all the places where you show up. Do you post content that shows your talents or interests? ​These are questions you should have in mind when you start digging through your online presence. Consider what your social media profiles say about you to someone who has never met you and if you are satisfied with the picture it portrays.​Optimize Your Profiles​Next, take action. You may want to make certain profiles private, create secondary accounts or start purposefully sharing content that matches the job you are seeking. ​As an example, for Facebook and LinkedIn, you’ll have to fix all incorrect information about yourself before applying, as your application pulls information from your profile.​Remember to use keywords in your profiles that might be used by recruiters who are searching for suitable candidates for their openings.​For example, if you are a developer, mention the names of languages you are familiar with. Share links to projects or portfolios that you may have online. ​Reach Out To Others – When Relevant​What’s the etiquette for social media messages regarding a job search? It’s no different than using any other channel. ​A personal message to someone who can help make a connection or introduction can be of great value– as long as it’s relevant and doesn’t come across as spam. ​Do your research prior to firing off a direct message to show that you’re interested in talking to this person specifically, rather than spamming your network.​Grow Professionally Using Social Media​Whether a job search is active or passive, social media can always be leveraged to grow, learn and make ongoing connections. ​For example, YouTube is a trove of tutorial videos that can teach coding skills, networking tips and countless other important career skills. There is always time to watch cat videos but remember to leverage on the unprecedented opportunity that the internet has brought to the world. Instead of wasting time on social media, use it for your professional advantage.​Social media is just one tool in a job search. Don’t only post or tweet at the expense of networking, polishing your resume and developing your career. Combining traditional career advancement with social media can accelerate your job growth.

​Digitization and automation are forcing businesses to innovate and transform the way they work. Organizations don’t always know the skills they will need now and in the future as new skills emerge and others become obsolete. Those companies that are slow to bring in digital age savvy leaders are also slow to create an environment where they can operate, innovate and thrive in the new dynamics of the digital age.To achieve and continuously develop a Digital Workforce Transformation (DWT), organizations must create a culture that embraces innovation and embeds continuous change capabilities that accelerate and sustain their digital transformation, maximizing their short and longer term ROI. To understand the impact of digital transformation, employees should trust their leaders that they can drive organizational success and enable innovation efforts. Continually learn to stay relevant and adapt your skill sets as circumstances change. Try our Learnability Quotient (or LQ) a web-based visual assessment to identifyyour learning style and provides resources to help you improve your learnability.To indicate your readiness to lead a digital workforce transformation, try our DigiQuotient. As new technologies and innovations are changing the Future of Work – your DigiQuotient reflects your desire and ability to grow and lead within this ever changing digital landscape. You will receive guidance on how to leverage your strengthsand recognize and mitigate derailing behaviours.Mixing roles, skill sets and work in teams can flourish your curiosity. It can enable you to develop yourself to investigate new ideas, roles, skills, technologies and methods. To accelerate your digital era career, ManpowerGroup career coaches can provide you with the insights and training opportunities you need to ensure that your skills are in demand.We leverage our deep understanding of the global job market and world of work trends to match you to a career.

​​If you’re a hiring manager recruiting for specialist IT talent, you’ll know that it’s a tough market globally in Malaysia specifically to find the right candidates for your organisation. ​This is a problem for organisations of all sizes, but affects large firms in APAC the most, with organisations of 250+ across the globe facing more than twice as much difficulty filling roles as micro organisations. ​The reasons behind this struggle are varied, but 31% highlight a lack of applicants as one of the biggest challenges, and 13% say candidates are expecting more than what businesses are prepared to pay.​So for you to attract the right talent, you should start to remove barriers and plan for a different approaches to the talent pipeline:​Remove Unnecessary Qualification Barriers​We noticed that a high percentage of organisations in Malaysia have traditionally required a university degree or diploma as a basic requirement for all roles. But as the "common" view of what a good education looks like changes, so too must the requirements for new hires. ​With that in mind, now is a good time to reassess your qualification criteria. For example, does it really matter whether your Cyber Security specialist went to University if they have all the necessary IT and Cyber Security training?​This isn’t about recruiting less qualified talent – it’s about opening up your talent pool to avoid missing an often overlooked set of candidates.​Look At Alternative Talent Pools​Review your existing team demographics, age range and diversity. Are there any groups which are missing? ​29% of organisations in APAC, are looking to target different talent pools to those they have traditionally recruited from, focusing on widening the breadth and depth of individuals they’re pulled from.​As well as giving you access to previously untapped talent pools, increasing the range of backgrounds your talent comes from can help improve employee performance, encourage creativity and drive innovation.​To help avoid subconscious bias when looking to increase the diversity of your team, it’s worth considering a blind CV approach – removing a range of details where appropriate to the role; from the candidate’s name, to academic and education details, to their criminal record.​Upskill Your Existing Talent​For many of the roles you’re looking to recruit for, it’s possible that you may already have the talent you need sitting right under your nose. ​With skills development being one of the highest ranked drivers for employees in the workforce, assessing individuals for existing capabilities and transferable skills could be a winning combination – helping to retrain your existing talent and upskill them to plug skills gaps and retain them in your business for longer.​Over half of businesses globally are investing in learning platforms and development tools to build their talent pipeline, up from just 20% in 2014. ​It’s clear that businesses in APAC are already taking this approach as 4 out of 10 employers in APAC are investing in learning platforms and development tools to build their talent pipeline, only 1% lower than in 2016. ​This approach can also apply to looking externally for talent. Whilst it will require some investment in time and training, looking for transferable skills and learnability in a candidate can help you to access otherwise untapped talent. ​For example, training programmes or cources in coding bootcamps from academies such as The Next Academy helps individuals with the relevant coding based foundation training and allowing them to show their potential to learn and progress in the space.​Improve Pay and/or Benefits​It is no secret, pay and benefits continue to be one of the key motivators for talent, particularly for specialist roles in areas such as IT. ​If your organisation is competing with other businesses with strong employer brands for the same talent, then a relatively quick fix is to compare your salaries with those offered by the competition. ​It’s also worth looking at whether the benefits that you’re offering appeal to alternative talent pools. Which incentives could you offer to target specific groups of individuals that you’re not currently reaching? ​With 22% of organisations in APAC looking to improve benefits like increased holiday and new joiner and well-being incentives, this is certainly becoming a popular option.​Hiring a new starter can be a long and expensive process, so it pays to get the right person on-board first time. ​From psychometric tests, 360 interviews, to new generation tools like big data scraping, social network analysis and gamification, organisations need to move away from biased intuition, to data based decision making.​If you need help in attracting the right IT talent to your organisation, get in touch today.

Contact:Name: Mohammad KashifPhone: +60 3 2087 0132Email [email protected]% of employers globally plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automationOrganizations that are investing in digital and shifting tasks to robots are creating most jobsUpskilling is on the rise, 84% of companies plan to upskill their workforce by 2020, up from just 21% in 2011Kuala Lumpur (30 January 2019) – Robot workers replacing human jobs – the debate of the decade. In reality, the opposite looks true. ManpowerGroup's (NYSE: MAN) report Humans Wanted: Robots Need You found that more employers than ever - 87% - plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation for the third consecutive year. ManpowerGroup surveyed 19,000 employers in 44 countries on the impact of automation on job growth in the next two years. For the full findings click here: https://www.manpowergroup.com/workforce-insights/world-of-work/skills-revolution-series​Companies that are digitizing are growing, and that growth is producing more and new kinds of jobs. Organizations that are already automating tasks and progressing their digital transformation are most confident of increasing headcount. Global talent shortages are at a 12-year high and new skills are appearing as fast as others disappear. More companies are planning to build talent than ever before, and this trend shows no sign of slowing. Eighty-four percent of employers plan to upskill their workforce by 2020.​"The focus on robots eliminating jobs is distracting us from the real issue," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. "More and more robots are being added to the workforce, but humans are too. Tech is here to stay and it's our responsibility as leaders to become Chief Learning Officers and work out how we integrate humans with machines. Learning today cannot be done as it was in the past. That's why at ManpowerGroup we're reskilling people from declining industries like textiles for jobs in high growth industries including cyber security, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving. If we focus on practical steps to upskill people at speed and at scale, organizations and individuals really can befriend the machines."​The Humans Wanted report also found that demand for IT skills is growing significantly and with speed; 16% of companies expect to increase headcount in IT, five times more than those expecting a decrease. Production and manufacturing employers anticipate the most change in headcount, 25% say they will employ more people in the next year, while 20% say they will employ less. Growth will come in front line and customer facing roles too – all requiring human skills such as communication, negotiation, leadership and adaptability.​Humans Wanted: Robots Need You provides practical recommendations and best practice examples from around the world to help organizations upskill their people and become more agile with the right combination of building, buying, borrowing and bridging talent.About ManpowerGroup ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for 70 years. In 2018, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the ninth year and one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies for the sixteenth year, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com​

Contact:Name: Mohammad Kashif Phone: +60 3 2087 0132 Email [email protected] ManpowerGroup Sheds Light on What Workers Want and the Rise of NextGen Work Eighty-seven percent of people are open to NextGen WorkNextGen work is a choice (81 percent) not a last resort (19 percent)It’s not just for Millennials - cash, control and skills development are priorities for allMeaningful work and employer appreciation are valued more by Boomers than any other generationKuala Lumpur (15 October 2017)  – Research released today by ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), reveals a new era of work in which flexibility and balance are in and the traditional ‘9-5 job for life’ is out. Findings from #GigResponsibly: The Rise of NextGen Work – a global survey of 9,500 people in 12 countries – identifies a shift towards new ways of getting work done, that works for people and business. ​ManpowerGroup asked people how they want to work, what motivates them and their views on NextGen Work. Boosting their bank account (38 percent), developing new skills (33 percent) and having more control over their schedule (32 percent) are top reasons why NextGen Work - part-time, freelance, contract, temporary or independent contract work - is on the rise. More than 80 percent of workers say NextGen Work is a choice, not a last resort, and builds resilience for less predictable futures.Read the full report here: #GigResponsibly: The Rise of NextGen Work https://www.manpowergroup.com/workforce-insights/world-of-work/gig-responsibly-the-next-gen-at-work​“Much of the jobs growth in the last 10-15 years has occurred in non-traditional, alternative ways of working,” said Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO, ManpowerGroup. “What people want is changing. They are working longer, learning more and seeking a better balance between work and home. Not everyone wants to engage only as a full-time employee and organizations don’t always want that either. We need to enable NextGen Work. In a world of accelerating change, it will be learnability, adaptable skills and new ways of working that will provide career security, opportunity for growth and prosperity for individuals and nations alike.”​The vast majority of workers (87 percent), spanning five generations and both genders, are open to NextGen Work for their next or future position, but their motives vary.Men are just as likely as women to look for flexibility to spend time with family (both 29 percent) and to seek a less stressful environment (21 percent vs 22 percent).Younger Millennials (age 18-24) prize pay, learning and career advancement. By their late 20s, over 60% of Millennials have had the same number of jobs as the majority of their parents.Boomers (age 50-65) are choosing encore careers that provide meaningful work and balance. Pay is a lower priority for them than other generations, while the desire for employer appreciation increases with age.NextGen Work is a global phenomenon. Emerging markets like India and Mexico are leading the way with the greatest openness to freelance, contract, temporary or independent contract work (97 percent), with mature markets – including the U.S. (94 percent) and UK and Australia - close behind (90 and 92 percent respectively). Germany, Netherlands and Japan are more resistant to NextGen Work.​#GigResponsibly: The Rise of NextGen Work highlights how labor market dynamics are shifting rapidly. Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO, spoke at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (4 October 2017) on “The Future of Work: Making Decent Work a Reality.” He talked of the rising global demand for NextGen Work, what workers want, and what business, education and government can do to enable NextGen. About ManpowerGroupManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for over 400,000 clients and connect 3+ million people to meaningful, sustainable work across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower®, Experis®, Right Management® and ManpowerGroup® Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across 80 countries and territories and has done so for nearly 70 years. In 2017, ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the seventh consecutive year and one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies, confirming our position as the most trusted and admired brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup is powering the future of work: www.manpowergroup.com