The job market today has become so competitive that it is quite difficult to penetrate if you do not have what it takes to beat other aspirants down. Each year, there are tens of thousands of graduates that enter the job market. This is why you need to understand the hottest in-demand jobs that would help to position you well for a prospective career after graduation. Do not just pull the trigger; try to find out what degrees guarantee the best and most sought-after jobs in Malaysia.
As they say, knowledge is power. With the right knowledge about the right degree to study, you would not need to join the queue of job seekers after graduation. Never mind; that is exactly why we are here for you. With the help of the Institute of Labour Market Information and Analysis (ILMIA) and TalentCorp Malaysia, we have compiled a list of the top ten degrees that would guarantee a job for you in Malaysia.
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Table of Contents
Top 10 Degrees That Will Guarantee You a Job in Malaysia
1. Engineering:
If you have already decided to study an engineering course in Malaysia, stick to your decision. Engineers are in hot demand anywhere in the world, irrespective of the field of focus. However, in Malaysia, there is high demand for graduates in manufacturing, civil, industrial, construction, and technical engineering. As the country heads towards the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), engineers would be well-favored in Malaysia. Also, there has been a great focus on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation in recent times with much advancement in those areas. This also means that new engineers would emerge to carry on with the advancement.
2. Occupational Health and Safety:
This is one of the hottest jobs that are in great pursuit in Malaysia. It is one of the most important sectors in any field of work. Specialized knowledge and careful adherence to technicalities are the top priorities of this field. Occupational Safety and Health professionals need to acquire the Green Book or Yellow Book certifications before they could be qualified to handle this position. The major sectors in Malaysia that are in high demand of occupational health and safety professionals include mining and quarrying, construction, manufacturing, and civil engineering.
3. Graphics and Multimedia Design:
There has been substantive growth in the digital world since the emergence of the internet and social media. The digital and creative content, information and communications, advertising, and retailing industries are in high need of professionals who can design with specific software such as Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, Adobe Photoshop, and Blender. Animators, 3D artists, 3D modelers, design architects, video game artists, and visual effects artists are in great shortage. So, if you have always had a knack for creative arts, it is your time to let the giants out.
4. Medicine:
There has been a negative circulation that doctors are in excess. This may not be true after all. In Malaysia, medical experts in specialty areas like pediatrics, or those who are skilled in hematology (blood), nephrology (kidney), and respiratory medicine are in high demand. The Association of Private Hospitals, Malaysia stated that there is a permanent demand for doctors in urology, neurosurgery, and neurology. Also, the National Heart Association of Malaysia stipulated that there is a need for more professionals in the field of cardiology as there is a high increase in heart and related diseases. However, it is noteworthy that you cannot just be licensed to practice in Malaysia without having to obtain a postgraduate qualification and broadened practical experience in your area of expertise. Do not forget that it would take you at least six years to be prepared for practice. So, you need to first count your costs before signing up.
5. Robotic Engineering:
The current technological breakthroughs in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), cloud computing, and big data analytics have brought about demands in sectors like consumer marketing, logistics, and food and beverages. Robotics is a discipline that combines knowledge of electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering, and software development. According to the Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University, Dr. Fazly Salleh Abas, “The body of a robot is built on mechanical concepts: the nervous system is built on mechanical concepts, while the software forms the brain.” Furthermore, robotics is not limited to only manufacturing but is widely used in other industries like medicine, agriculture, surveillance, and law enforcement. Graduates of robotic engineering can choose to work in any industry or become a researcher in the field. They may also choose to work on single action robots in plants that automate bottle labeling or work on complex projects like designing intelligent drones.
6. Business:
This encompasses fields like finance, accounting, marketing, and human resource management. Business personnel can find themselves in any field of human endeavor as long as it involves buying and selling. Those with professional certifications are usually sought after in their fields. Business professionals are not just in high demand in traditional fields. E-commerce, online booking, and other digital careers are becoming more versatile, thereby, producing more entrepreneurs and business experts. The in-demand jobs in this field include sales and marketing managers, accounting executives, tax consultants, human resource managers, recruitment managers, digital marketing executives, and others.
7. Digital Marketers:
In recent times, there has been an exponential growth of the internet. It has led to many firms discovering more ways they could leverage that to project their businesses and products to anyone, anywhere in the world, without any barriers. This is just the duty of digital marketers. Online or digital marketing has become a sought-after career in a borderless environment. Consumers are not left out of the innovation, as they use the internet as a medium to relate with producers, middlemen, and other consumers. There has been a need for corporate bodies to employ media strategists, content creators, and event managers to take care of integrated marketing communications. Digital marketers have a way to excite consumers by giving insights to products, brands, or firms and sustain attention through creativity and innovation. You can enroll in a digital marketing course to understand the nitty-gritty of the field.
8. Geophysics:
If you are interested in the planet and how things managed to exist here, then you might be interested in studying geophysics. The course entails using quantitative physical methods, measuring the physical property, and modeling the physical behavior to study the planet. Geophysics graduates are highly sought after in Malaysia since the country needs more geophysicists who can help take care of the soil and the Earth as a whole.
9. Actuarial Science:
Are you great at mathematics and statistics? You might as well be building a great career if you choose the path of actuarial science. Graduates of actuarial science are needed in major industries especially, insurance and banking. This is a result of their skills in statistics and data analysis. They are also sufficiently needed in oil and gas in areas of big data and artificial intelligence (AI).
10. Data Science:
The founder and CEO of the Centre for Applied Data Science (CADS), Sharala Axryd, explained that there have been great demands for data scientists, but recently, the demands have cascaded due to the investments made by large enterprises and digital natives in the field. With this, they have a competitive advantage over other enterprises that are not willing to make such sacrifices. Data helps executives and management to make their organizational decisions. Data scientists possess both practical and theoretical skills, which help them constantly climb their career ladder. As undergraduates, they have strong communication skills, which enable them to articulate their knowledge and create values. There are endless possibilities in this field, as professionals could become skilled in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or analytics. More so, data scientists are needed across all fields, both vertically and horizontally.
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When choosing the right course to study, do not hesitate to look out for jobs that are in high demand. Compare them with your passion and make the best choice, which your future will thank you for. With the current evolution in technology, there has been a drastic change in the current job landscape in Malaysia. Employers are seriously investing in digitization to enable global competitiveness, strengthen growth and productivity, and create high-value jobs. As stated by the Malaysian Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), most job replacements that took place in 2018 were a result of different forms of automation. The sectors most affected include manufacturing and construction. The next is the banking sector, according to the agency. A 2017 McKinsey global report estimated that 43% of all finance and insurance activities could become automated, leaving the majority of employees jobless.
In Malaysia, by 2026, 80 million job roles will disappear. This is according to the 2018 Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum. The unemployment rate in 2024 increased by 30%, which was a leap from about 15% in 2023.
As a graduate, if you possess outdated and irrelevant skills and information, you may be left behind as time progresses. This also means that you have contributed to the unemployment rate in the country. You must critically and carefully plan ahead before making any choice, of course, to study so as to avoid studying a course that may have no relevance after graduation. This would be a waste of both time and money. You wouldn’t be caught unawares, we know. That is the reason we are here for you.
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