PETALING JAYA, Aug 19: Despite reports of the unemployment rate rising, several sectors are actively hiring, according to an analysis by a recruitment agency, which also predicts a significant rise in demand for freelancers.
FastJobs found the industries that are currently looking for employees are in the manufacturing; construction; education and training; services; telecommunications; as well as the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
Services also include wholesale, distribution, grooming, e-commerce as well as food and beverages.
Its general manager, Joelle Pang, said based on their analysis on hiring trends, there was an increase of 250% since March in the F&B sector.
She attributed this to the “pent-up demand” and consumers who are returning to the job market post MCO (movement control order) and conditional MCO.
“This is evident based on the rise in jobseeker registrations and job postings by our registered employers in the F&B industry,” she told FMT.
Pang added that based on media reports, many operational staff were retrenched during the MCO and CMCO. Hence, she said, there has been a huge increase in demand to support business operations for F&B services that have resumed their operations.
As for the manufacturing and warehousing sector, as of July 1, Pang said, there has been a 200% increase in hiring activities since March.
The manufacturing sector, she explained, was previously hit due to supply chain disruptions but were now returning to business “in the new norm”.
As for the warehousing sector, the MCO led to a surge in online shopping.
“This resulted in many companies hiring workers for despatch and logistics, and warehousing to meet the demand and supply.”
Pang also noted that more companies were seeking to hire virtual assistants, receptionists and admin staff. As of July 1, the percentage rose by 50%.
The demand for jobs at call centres also saw a surge of 125% as of July 1.
“We observed a shift towards a demand for part-time and contract workers, especially with our small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they start to regain certainty in their business,” Pang said.
She also said that based on their initial observations, part-time jobs and contract jobs have increased by almost 100% especially since the nation moved into the recovery movement control order (RMCO) which went into effect on June 10.
“More employers are looking for part-time workers to regain their business momentum.”
Pang noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant rise in demand for gig or freelance type jobs.
“This as jobseekers look to earn additional income in this time of uncertainty.”
