Salary & Bonus are Top Priority in Job Search for Malaysian Graduates According to Talentbank Survey

Study a Course and Graduate to Work in a Job with Future High Demand in Malaysia
Bright Outlook for Fresh Graduates in Job Hunt in 2021
A recent survey by graduate recruitment company, Talentbank, found that male and female undergraduates prioritise salary and bonus in their search for the ideal employer.
These were among their top five priorities besides career development opportunities, good bosses and leaders, learning and development opportunities, good company culture and flexible working hours, said Talentbank founder, Ben Ho, in a statement today.
He said that most of the respondents expected a starting salary of RM2,500 — RM3,500 in their first job and a monthly internship allowance of RM1,000.
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A Talentbank survey shows the majority of employers intend to hire graduates from public and private universities in 2021 as well as 2022

Philip Sim, Information Technology (IT) graduate from Asia Pacific University (APU)
Top 10 most important recruitment metrics that leading employers used when hiring fresh university graduates were:
- Career readiness
- Extra-curricular activities
- University reputation
- Recruitment processes
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
- Salary range
- Time to hire
- Cost to course applications
- Employee retention
- Students’ international exposure
Recent results from a survey conducted in October 2020 by Talentbank, an award-winning recruitment, market research, education and employer branding company, with 196 organisations in Malaysia revealed a whopping 73.41 percent of respondents intend to hire fresh graduates from private and public universities in Malaysia next year while 21.97 percent of respondents were unsure and a small percentage of 4.62 percent said were disinclined to hire.
Top 10 Most Attractive Graduate Employers To Work For in 2021

Gary, Accounting Graduate from University of Wollongong Malaysia (UOWM) KDU
Over 24,000 Malaysian public and private university undergraduates took the survey held in parallel with the 3rd Annual Graduates’ Choice Awards (GCA) where they voted for the ‘Top 10 Most Attractive Graduate Employers To Work For in 2021”, which were Maybank, Google, Microsoft Malaysia, Petroliam Nasional Bhd, Shopee Malaysia, Intel Malaysia, CIMB, Shell Malaysia, Celcom Axiata Bhd and PwC Malaysia.
They chose from among 700 companies across 35 industries over a 12-month period from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020.
Ho said that besides recognising the commitment made by employers, the prestigious awards also act as a reference for fresh graduates to help them distinguish employers of great distinction in their respective industries when they apply for a job.
“The importance of a great employer brand image cannot be underestimated. It helps organisations become a talent magnet and attract the right talents,” he said.
The survey also revealed that banking and technology are among the top five preferred industries for both male and female undergraduates.
The results painted an equally optimistic picture for fresh graduate employment prospects in Malaysia in 2021. A total of 76.3 percent of respondents were optimistic they would be hiring fresh graduates from Malaysia’s public and private universities in 2022.
Talentbank Chief Executive Officer, Ben Ho, said: “This is indeed good news in this period of volatility and uncertainty brought about by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic which has caused many companies to cut operating costs by reducing manpower in order to get past this crisis.
“It also means that private and public universities in Malaysia are producing graduates with the right set of skill sets needed by the industry. “Respondents were mainly in senior positions attached to mid-sized and large organisations.
They formed 80.35 percent of all respondents. Public listed companies in Malaysia made up 33.53 percent of this segment.”
Top Promising Job Prospects for Fresh Graduates in Malaysia

Darren, Finance & Investment Graduate
The survey results revealed promising job prospects for fresh graduates with backgrounds in these fields;
- Accounting
- Business Management
- Marketing
- Computing and Information Technology
- Human Resource Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electronics and Electrical Engineering
- Mass Communications
- Banking
- Economics
Monthly salaries offered to fresh graduates from all fields average between RM2,501 and RM3,000, while internship allowances average RM1,000 monthly.
Ho shared: “We asked employers if they placed a greater emphasis on attitude or academic results when hiring fresh graduates and the responses came as no surprise. 91.91 percent of the respondents chose good attitude over academic results while the remaining 8.09 percent stressed on academic results over good attitude.
“These results point to a growing demand for talents who are versatile, able to pick up new skills and take on new responsibilities thrown at them.”