Despite over 1.1 million job vacancies advertised on the MyFutureJobs portal, Malaysia’s recruitment rate remains low, creating challenges in reducing foreign worker dependency.
KUALA LUMPUR: The recruitment rate in Malaysia remains low despite cumulative job vacancies advertised on the Social Security Organisation’s MyFutureJobs portal reaching 1.1 million between January and September 30.
Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said the high number of vacancies does not correspond with job seeker participation levels despite easier digital job search processes.
This situation makes it more challenging for the government to meet industry needs without increasing reliance on foreign workers.
“Through my own experience of following several MyFutureJobs programmes, there are many job vacancies, but the recruitment rate is still low,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Perkeso statistics showed 1.5 million vacancies were advertised throughout 2024.
For 2025, 247,889 vacancies offered wages of RM3,000 and above, while 339,916 such positions were available in 2024.
As of November 14, 2025, only 108,826 job vacancies were actively advertised compared to 464,534 active job seekers on the portal.
The ministry is addressing this through skills improvement platforms including TalentCorp and HRD Corp.
They are also enhancing the Technical and Vocational Education and Training curriculum with industry collaboration to ensure local workforce readiness for competitive salary sectors.
“We want to provide upskilling and reskilling to those already in the workforce so that their income increases and job opportunities become better than usual,” Abdul Rahman said.
The ministry’s portal and job market data give TVET graduates advantages in filling existing industry vacancies.
