The Big Shift Malaysian Companies Are Making

ByEsther Low Hiring Tips, Skills-Based Hiring

For years, Malaysian companies have chased the idea of finding “ready talent” — people who can walk in on Monday and perform on Tuesday. But in today’s business landscape, that mindset is no longer realistic.

Markets are shifting too fast. Roles evolve monthly. Skills expire quickly. And expecting candidates — especially interns and fresh graduates — to arrive perfectly “ready” is setting everyone up for failure.

The Problem Isn’t Talent, It’s the Hiring Model

Companies often blame a “talent shortage”, but the real problem is how we filter talent.

Traditional hiring prioritises CVs, degrees, and past experience instead of actual skills and potential. As a result, companies unintentionally exclude capable candidates who could perform exceptionally if given real-world exposure.

We filter out learners before they even get a chance to learn.

The New Reality: Skills Outpace Experience

Skills today have a shorter shelf life. According to global data, nearly 50% of the skills needed in the workforce will change within three years. That means hiring based on what someone used to know says very little about what they can do tomorrow.

Companies don’t need “ready talent”.

They need just-in-time talent — people who are agile, trainable, and able to apply skills immediately to real problems.

Skills-Based Hiring = Better Business

Skills-based hiring flips the traditional model:

❌ Old way: Filter by degrees, company brands, and job titles

✔️ New way: Evaluate real skills through assessments, challenges, and work samples

This approach gives companies:

  • A wider and more diverse talent pool
  • Faster alignment with current business needs
  • Increased innovation and productivity
  • A workforce built for continuous change

Instead of waiting for “unicorn hires”, we develop talent aligned to actual business problems in real time.

Two people in an office, one standing and pointing at sticky notes on a whiteboard, the other sitting at a desk with a laptop, both appearing engaged; lightbulb graphic included. Kabel Job Platform

If You Want Ready Talent, You Build Them

Companies that win are those that:

  • Hire for potential, not perfection
  • Train based on immediate business needs
  • Use real projects to accelerate readiness
  • Treat internships as onboarding pipelines, not cheap labour

This is how growth companies operate: hire early, train fast, deploy immediately.

Malaysia’s Competitive Edge Depends on It

By shifting to just-in-time, skills-based hiring, we create:

  • A stronger ecosystem of work-ready youth
  • Businesses that grow faster with lower risk
  • A talent pool built from real performance, not just paper qualifications

The Future of Hiring Is Built, Not Bought

The idea of waiting for a perfectly “ready” candidate is outdated.

The companies that thrive are those who shape talent, not shop for talent.

If you’re ready to transform how you bring talent into your organisation, start by giving students real work that builds real skills.

Call to Action

Post your internship roles on Kabel and access top talent demonstrating real-world skills — matched through challenges and performance, not CV filters.

👉 Build talent for your business, not someone else’s.

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