The Malaysia Career and Training Fair (MCTF) jointly organised by JobStreet and AIC Exhibitions Sdn Bhd from 6 to 12 July 2021 attracted over 250,000 visits. The annual exhibition, held digitally for the first time this year, saw an average of over 35,000 visits each day.
According to the Malaysian Department of Statistics, Malaysia’s unemployment rate stood at 4.5 percent1 in May 2021. This is an improvement to the all-time high of 5.3 percent a year ago during the first movement control order (MCO 1.0), and could be attributed to vaccination efforts made by the Malaysian Government.
“The fair was initially scheduled for four days, but due to overwhelming response from jobseekers, we extended it by another three days. MCTF has come to be known as the premier career fair in Malaysia, and the participating companies were also eager to do their part in helping as many Malaysians as possible to be re-employed,” said AIC Exhibitions managing director Datuk William Ng (left in above pic).
MCTF this year, rebranded as MCTF Digital, saw the participation of some of the country’s top employers, including AEON, Exxonmobil, Hartalega, KLK, RHB Bank, Samsung, TDCX and Top Glove.
Visitors were able to interact directly with participating companies via a live chat function, browse and apply for jobs on-the-spot and participate in the many live forums to better prepare themselves for jobs in the new normal.
Among the jobseekers, 28 percent have more than 20 years of experience, while 26 percent are fresh graduates – indicating that the pandemic has affected the most experienced professionals and fresh graduates disproportionately.
By industry, the top three industries represented by the jobseekers were banking and finance, manufacturing and oil and gas, respectively.
Meanwhile, JobStreet country manager Simran Kaur (right in above pic) said, “The week-long virtual career event with over 250,000 visits far exceeded our expectations. We are glad to have done our part in helping Malaysians find jobs that matter to them, especially as we as a country navigate through the pandemic.”.
Ng added, “What is clear is that despite the pandemic, many companies are still hiring, albeit selectively. There are still plenty of jobs in the market, but jobseekers must be more savvy in their approach, and be better prepared as employers are more demanding given the changing markets as well as the challenges ahead.”