Upskilling & Reskilling What HR Consultants Should Prioritize Now”.pdf

Explore key strategies HR consultants in Malaysia must prioritize in 2025: from AI literacy and talent mobility to designing learning pathways. Stay ahead with Brain Hunters Malaysia.

1. Upskilling&Reskilling:WhatHRConsultantsShould
PrioritizeNow
Intoday’sfast-changingbusinessenvironment,HRconsultants—especiallythosein
HRconsultingMalaysiaandrecruitmentlandscapes—mustbestrategicaboutwhat
skillstofosterwithinorganisationsandthemselves.WithdisruptionslikeAI,
automation,andshiftingworkmodels,thegapbetweenneededskillsandexisting
capabilitiesisgrowing.Forrecruitmentfirmsandtoprecruitmentagenciesin
Malaysia,helpingclients(andinternalteams)bridgethisgapisakeydifferentiator.
InthisArticle,we’llexplore:
What“upskilling”and“reskilling”reallymeaninthiscontext
WhythesearecriticalnowinMalaysia
KeypriorityareasHRconsultantsshouldfocuson
Howrecruitmentagencies/recruitmentfirmMalaysiacanoperationalisethese
efforts
HowBrainHuntersMalaysia(andsimilarjobagencies)canleadtheway
Practicaltipsandaroadmap
Conclusion&calltoaction
Let’sdivein.
WhatAreUpskilling&Reskilling–AndWhyThey
Matter

2. Upskillingmeanshelpingexistingemployeesortalentupgradeordeepentheir
currentskillstomeetevolvingdemands.
Reskillingmeanstrainingpeopletomoveintodifferentrolesorfunctionsbecause
theircurrenttasksmaybecomeobsolete.
ForHRconsultants,thedistinctionmatters:yourclientswillexpectguidanceonboth
future-proofingexistingroles(upskilling)andredeployingtalent(reskilling)when
businessneedsshift.
Whyisthisespeciallyimportantnow?
Rapidtechnologicalchange(AI,automation,digitaltools)isdisplacingor
transformingmanyroles.
Newrolesareemergingthatrequirenewskillsets(dataanalytics,digitalliteracy,
AIoversight).
Organizationsthatfailtoinvestintalenttransformationriskhigherturnover,
talentshortages,lowerproductivity,andreputationaldrag.
ClientsincreasinglyexpectrecruitmentagenciesinMalaysiatonotmerelyfill
vacancies,buttoconsultontalentpipelinesandinternalcapabilitybuilding.
ThismeansHRconsultantsmustalsosharpentheirownskillsandserviceofferingsto
stayrelevantinthejobhunterMalaysiaandHRconsultingspace.
TheMalaysianContext:WhyUpskilling&ReskillingAre
Non-Negotiable
Tomakeyouradvicecredible,itmustalignwithwhat’shappeninginMalaysia.
Here’swhatthedatasays:
1.Workforcetransformationisunderway
Anationalstudyfoundthatabout620,000jobsinMalaysiaareathighriskof
becomingobsoleteduetoautomationordigitalization.Rolesneedingreskilling
orcross-skillingareemerging.
Meanwhile,manyorganizationsinMalaysiaarealreadyexpandingintech-
intensiveareas:RandstadMalaysianotesstrongerhiringprojectionsfortech
roles.
2.Highdemandfordigitalandadvancedskills
Malaysianemployeescitedigitalskills(83%considerbasicdigitalskills
essential),andadvancedskillslikedataanalytics,cybersecurity,AI,anddigital
marketingasin-demand.
Yetmanyemployeeslackopportunitiestodevelopthem:asurveybyHRAsia
foundthat81%acknowledgetheimportanceoflearningbutfewerthan25%
receiveadequatetraining.
3.Employerpressure&demandfortraining
Inarecentsurvey,43%ofMalaysianbusinessesareactivelylookingattraining
programmestoreskillorupskilltheirstafftocopewithdigitalisationpressures.

3. Governmentinitiativesalsosupportthis:Malaysiainvestsheavilyinskills
traininganddigitalupskillingprogramstostaycompetitive.
AllofthisunderscoresthatHRconsultantsandrecruitmentfirmsinMalaysiamust
notonlytalkabouttalentacquisition,butalsotalenttransformation
PriorityAreasforHRConsultants&Recruitment
Agencies
AsaHRconsultantorpartofarecruitmentfirmMalaysia,herearethetopskill
zonesandstrategicareasyoushouldprioritize:
1.Digital&TechnicalLiteracy(AI,Analytics,Automation)
AIawareness&adoption:HRteamsneedtounderstandhowAI/automation
toolscanaugmentrecruitment,performancemanagement,learningsystems,
andemployeeanalytics.
Dataanalyticsskills:Theabilitytoanalyzeattrition,employeeperformance,and
recruitmentfunnelmetricsiscritical.
Techtoolfluency:ThisincludesHRISsystems,LMSplatforms,automationtools,
chatbot/virtualassistanttoolsforhiring,andintegrationplatforms.
GiventhatmanyroutineHRtasksareautomatable,yourclientswillwantguidance
onwhattoautomateandwhattokeephuman.
2.LearningDesign&Microlearning
HRconsultantsmustbeabletodesignjust-in-timelearningmodules,micro-
learning,andmodulartrainingpathways.
Personalizedlearningjourneyplanninghelpsindividualsmovefromcurrent
statetotargetroles.
UseofAIoradaptivelearningsystemstotailorcontentandpace.
3.Leadership&SoftSkills
Whiletechnicalskillsarevital,softskillssuchasleadership,communication,
emotionalintelligence,resilience,andchangemanagementremainfoundational.In
adigitalworld,theabilitytoleadchangeisamajordifferentiator.
4.ChangeManagement&CultureCoaching
Upskillingprogramsfailifculturedoesn’tsupportcontinuouslearning.HR
consultantsmustembedchangemanagementstrategies:stakeholderbuy-in,
learningculture,accountability,embeddingfeedbackloops,andmakinglearning
partofperformancesystems.

4. 5.TalentMobility&InternalCareerPathing
Reskillingto“futureadjacent”roles:Helpingemployeestransitionintorolesthat
makeuseofexistingstrengthswhileaddingnewskills.
Internalmobilityframeworks:mappingskilladjacencies,gapanalyses,rotation
programs,upskillingpathways.
Overlayingworkforceplanningwithlearningstrategies.
6.EthicalAI,Governance&ComplianceSkills
AsclientsadoptAItools,HRconsultantsmustadviseongovernance,fairness,
privacy,explainability,andbiasmitigation.Ethicaladoptionisacompetitiveedge,
especiallyinregionslikeMalaysiawhereregulationsareevolving.
7.DigitalHRAdvisory&StrategicWorkforcePlanning
HRconsultantsshouldbecomfortableadvisingclientsonstrategicforesight,
predictiveanalytics,andscenarioplanningforworkforceneeds.
Bridgethegapbetweenbusinessstrategyandtalentstrategy.
HowRecruitmentFirmsinMalaysiaCanPutThisInto
Practice
TobemorethanjustarecruitmentagencyinMalaysia(thatonlysources
candidates),here'showyoucanembedupskilling&reskillingintoyourservicesuite:
A.Extendyourserviceofferings
Offertalentdevelopmentaudits:assessclients’skillsgaps,futurereadiness,
andtrainingroadmap.
Providelearningpartnerships/vendormatching:partnerwithtraining
providersorbuildyourownlearningmodules.
Launchreskilling-as-a-serviceofferings:delivertailoredreskillingprogramsfor
clientorganizations.
ThisturnsyoufromatransactionalrecruiterintoastrategicHRpartner.
B.Upskillyourownteam
Yourinternalconsultants,recruiters,andaccountmanagersmuststaycurrentonHR
tech,analytics,learningdesign,AI,andindustrytrends.Thisgivesyoucredibility
whenadvisingclients.
C.Createcontent,resources,andthoughtleadership

5. Publishinginsights(likethisblog)onupskilling/reskilling,conductingwebinarsor
whitepaperspositionsyourrecruitmentfirmMalaysiaasathoughtleader—useful
forbrandbuildingandclienttrust.
D.Partnerwithgovernment/grants/trainingfunds
InMalaysia,manygovernmentprogrammesandgrantssupporttraining,digital
transformation,andskillsdevelopment.HRconsultanciesshouldhelpclientstapinto
funding,certifications,orsubsidiestolowerthecostbarrier.
E.Embedlearningintorecruitmentprojects
Forexample:whenplacingcandidates,provideapost-placementtrainingroadmap;
ortierecruitmenttoaphasedonboardingandupskillpath.ShowROIbeyondhiring
—retention,performance,futurereadiness.
HowBrainHuntersMalaysiaCanLeadtheWay
AsBrainHuntersMalaysia,youarewellpositionedtoleadinthisevolvingHR
consultancy/recruitmentniche.Here’show:
Brandyourdifferentiation
Emphasizeyouridentitybeyond“justarecruitmentagencyinMalaysia.”Use
messagingaround“talenttransformation”,“future-readyworkforce”,or
“reskilling-embeddedrecruitment.”
Showcasecasestudies&outcomes
IfyoupilotreskillingorL&Dprojectswithclients,documentoutcomes(reduced
attrition,promotions,roleshifts).Thatbuildscredibilitywithprospects.
Offerbundledservices
Forexample:recruitment+onboarding+upskillpathasapackage.Or“Talent
ReadinessAssessment+CandidatePlacement.”
Collaboratewithlearningpartners
Tieupwithtrainingacademies,micro-learningproviders,certificationplatforms,
edtechfirms.Thatletsyoudeliverholisticsolutions.
Hostthoughtleadershipcontent&events
Createwebinars,masterclasses,orguideson“futureofworkinMalaysia,”
“reskillingforAIage,”etc.UsethesetoattractclientsseekingHRconsulting
Malaysia.
Internalcompetencybuilding
SetupacontinuouslearningcultureinsideBrainHunters:regulartraining,
internalknowledge-sharing,coaching,andincentivestostayupdated.
PracticalRoadmap:HowHRConsultantsShouldStart
Here’sasuggestedphasedroadmaptoembedupskilling&reskillingintoyour
practice:

6. Phase Focus KeyActivities
Metrics/Success
Signals
Phase1–
Diagnostics&
Strategy
Understand
baseline
Skillsauditofyourteam&
clients;identifyhigh-risk&
high-opportunityroles;
competitivebenchmarking
Auditreport,
prioritylist,client
buy-in
Phase2–Pilot
Programs
Smallscale
implementation
Runpilotupskill/reskill
modulesforaclient(or
internal);testlearning
formats;collectfeedback
Completionrates,
improvementin
metrics,feedback
scores
Phase3–Scale&
Institutionalize
Expand&embed
Developmodularlearning
paths,platform
integration,embedin
recruitment/HR
consultancycycle,partner
withproviders
Numberofclients
onprogram,repeat
business,improved
performance
metrics
Phase4–
Branding&
Thought
Leadership
Amplifymarket
presence
Publishwhitepapers,
webinars,successstories,
speakatevents,content
marketing
Inboundleads,
mediamentions,
increaseddomain
authority
Tips&bestpractices:
Usemicrolearning,bite-sizedcontenttoreducefriction.
Employblendedlearning(online+in-person/coaching)tocatertodifferent
learningstyles.
Monitorlearningimpactmetrics:pre-andpost-assessments,behaviorchange,
businessKPIs.
Encouragelearningculture:rewardlearners,celebratesuccess,integrateinto
performancereviews.
Startwith“low-hangingfruit”rolesthatcanbeupskilledmoreeasily(e.g.digital
marketing,analytics,HRtechtools)beforemovingtohighlytechnicaldomains.
Conclusion&CalltoAction
Upskillingandreskillingarenolongeroptional—they'reessentialforHRconsultants,
recruitmentagencies,andtoprecruitmentagenciesinMalaysiatothriveinarapidly
evolvingworld.Theorganizationsthatwillsucceedarethosethatcombinetalent
acquisitionwithgenuinetalenttransformation.

7. Ifyou’repartofarecruitmentfirmMalaysiaoryou’reabusinessseekingtodesign
future-prooftalentstrategies,BrainHuntersMalaysiaisreadytohelpyou:
Audityourskills&talentroadmap
Designtailoredtrainingandreskillingplans
Partneryouwithlearningproviders
Integratetalenttransformationintorecruitment
Getintouchtoexplorehowwecanelevateyourworkforcereadinessandbridge
yourskillsgap.