Media headlines, Reddit forums and TikToks have been dominated with a single hot topic of late: The Great Malaysian Brain Drain. As of the end of 2022, projected figures indicate that the global Malaysian diaspora is circa 2 million with younger, skilled Malaysians aged 25 and up, constituting just about half a million of it.
Meanwhile, the World Bank, as far back as 2009 in its annual Malaysia Monitor publications, had reported a serious shortage of high technical skills in Malaysia, including among fresh graduates – signalling structural problems within the education system.
This unfortunate dynamic has remained even in 2023 and is backed up by numbers released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, showing the number of underemployed graduates is trending up, reaching 33.9% or 1.55 million in 2021, with graduates’ unemployment rate standing at 4.1%.
These convergent trends pose serious risks to the Malaysian economy particularly, as identified by TalentCorp’s Critical Occupation List. This is a list established since 2015 – identifying the scarcity of skilled talents that Malaysia requires for digital transformation.
Whether you’re an MNC, GLC or start-up – you SHOULD be worried. Can’t find a developer? Got freelancers somewhere…Can’t find a good coder? Maybe…possibly, hire from India, pricey though if you can afford to delay for the permit processing requirements.
You won’t be able to relax when you’ve taken a look at the top ten lines of the Critical Occupation List from 2021. When you read the list, pay attention to Code 1222 – Public Relations Managers. They are the people who become Strategic Communications Leaders in organisations, the ones who advise the Board of Directors and CEOs on how best to communicate.
Company founders, directors and management are there to steer the organisation to deliver value to its shareholders and society at large. They have the right networks, experience and financial know-how to run as well as grow the business. However, they are NOT born communicators and these days, poorly strategized communication is a misstep at the C-level that has huge consequences to the entire organisation.
Communicating has become a complex minefield, particularly with new and shifting expectations from customers, regulators, industry peers even commentators on social media.
Witness also how guidelines for communications have been tightened by the Communications and Multimedia Commission for online and broadcast content, the Securities Commission for listed companies and Bank Negara for financial institutions.
Strategic Communications play a critical role in safeguarding organisational reputation, it is not an understatement to say that these specialist advisors have the unenviable task of navigating stakeholder relations for companies in rapidly changing, uncharted waters. And the role is not limited to larger entities, start-ups should not ignore the importance of getting the right strategic communications advice from the start – it may well be the difference that propels a budding company into full-on unicorn status.
Strategic Communications straddles that fine line between art and science. It cannot be left as a “by the way” item for the Marketing team to attend to as the business grows. Nor is it a matter simply resolved by transferring internally a proficient administrator to “fill the role”. Worse still, for the multitasking founder or co-founder to assume the role – Elon Musk, anyone?
As fewer and fewer strategic communications specialists are available in Malaysia – many retiring or fleeing to other shores drawn by attractive remunerations and meaty, regional roles – the question then becomes: What will Malaysian companies do?
What do you think should be done?
What would you do when faced with this conundrum?
