LINKEDIN SURVEY REVEALS JOB SATISFACTION IS NO GUARANTEE OF LOYALTY IN MALAYSIA

New report on talent trends both in Malaysia and globally, shows that 58% of candidates claim to be satisfied, yet still actively seek a new job

Opportunities for advancement named as key draw for active job seekers

MALAYSIA, March 6, 2014 – LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network with more than 277 million members globally and over one million in Malaysia, today announced the launch of its inaugural Talent Trends 2014 Report. The report provides insights into the attitudes of professionals towards job-seeking, job satisfaction and career evaluation.

The study polled over 18,000 fully-employed professionals in 26 countries, including 570 professionals in Malaysia.

The study found that professionals in Malaysia are a relatively content lot, with 73% reporting that they are satisfied with their current roles. This was in line with the global average, and higher than in countries like Hong Kong (67%) and Japan (65%), but lower than in countries like Indonesia (84%) and Sweden (83%).

However, underlying this picture are some trends which employers might do well to note. Firstly, 50% described their status as only ‘somewhat satisfied’, indicating clear room for improvement. Additionally, more than one out of four (26%) professionals are actively looking for their next role.

Furthermore, passive talent may not be as passive as employers think. At a ratio of more than nine to two, Malaysia had a relatively high ratio of ‘approachable’ passive talent (professionals who are not actively looking for a job, but open to considering opportunities if approached) in relation to ‘super-passives’ (professionals who are completely happy in their current jobs and not interested in new opportunities at all). This was in comparison to a global average of about seven to two. The chart provides a detailed breakdown:

Digging a little deeper, it is unsurprising that active candidates are considerably more dissatisfied than passive candidates at 22% vs 5% respectively. What may be surprising, however, is the high proportion of candidates (58%) who claim to be satisfied in their current roles, yet are actively looking for a job.

Clearly, high levels of job satisfaction are no guarantee of loyalty. No matter how satisfied a candidate is, employers can get their attention by offering a career upgrade.

Top Motivations for Changing Jobs among Malaysian  Professionals: Active vs Passive Candidates
Active candidates	Passive candidates
1.      Opportunities for advancement (40%) 2.      Better compensation and benefits (31%) 3.      Looking for more learning opportunities (28%)	1.      Significantly better compensation and benefits (44%) 2.      Better work/life balance (39%) 3.      Greater opportunities for advancement (28%)

On the flipside, for passive candidates, the least important factor when considering a new job opportunity – for professionals globally as well as in Malaysia – is job title, followed by office location. The active Malaysian candidates, however, rank seeking a better job title and being unhappy with their current team as amongst the least important factors when considering a job.

Across all countries surveyed, professionals agree that the most important factor when picking an employer is the prospective company’s talent brand, that is, whether it is considered a great place to work. This was true for more than half of Malaysia professionals (53%), at just 3% below the global average.

The report also looked at the top things professionals do to stay on top of their career, and found that ongoing career management is the norm. Whether passive or active, almost all professionals engage in some sort of career-advancement activity on a monthly basis. In fact, professionals in Malaysia are the world’s second most conscientious when it comes to keeping their resumes and professional profiles up to date, with 51% reporting having done so in the last month. 45% also engage in professional networking, which is fairly consistent with the global average (47%). Interestingly, it also appeared that head-hunters are well aware that many professionals are open to career opportunities – 44% of respondents in Malaysia reported having been approached by a recruiter in the last month – 5% more than the global average.