Final Report - Professional Services Activities Environmental Scan Final Report - Professional Services Activities En | Page 31

As the local development sector is slowing down, the demand for architects is lower. However,
the market is expected to improve with new infrastructure development, new townships,
housing and construction projects. Industry experts predict that the demand for architects will
continue to grow by 2020. Local architectural firms are facing stiff competition locally and
abroad. In order to compete with international firms, it is essential to build strong capability to
increase competitiveness in this industry.
The younger generation is shying away from engineering courses and practices with the
mindset that engineers have unattractive salaries compared to other professions and are require
to work in a harsh environment which is dirty, difficult and dangerous. However, industry
experts pointed out that this mindset is not true. Many engineers work in a conducive and clean
environment. There are also many CEOs of listed companies are engineers. Although the
industry has been actively promoting engineering to youngsters, the biggest concern is the
trainability and quality of local graduates. Nevertheless, the demand is still high for geo-
technical, marine, mechanical, electrical and electronic, IT and process engineers.
On the other hand, the market research industry is experiencing a double-digit growth from
2009 to 2014 and the growth was mainly due to the rapid development of industrialization as
well as Malaysia’s position as one of the major emerging markets in Asia Pacific. In 2013
alone, more than half of the revenue generated from the market research industry was from
Malaysia’s manufacturing sector.
In recent years, there is a rapid transition from traditional advertising to new media advertising,
however Malaysia is still nascent in online advertising. The advertising industry is moving
towards online media with the emergence of social media and taking content online from
traditional media such as newspaper, magazines and TV 8 . This trend has created a growing
internet audience in Malaysia. There is a high demand for advertising professionals in
Malaysia, but there is a talent shortage as those who take up advertising jobs. The industry now
mainly attracted marketing and communication graduates, unlike years ago where the
8
Speeda – Online Advertising Agencies Industry Overview in Malaysia
Environmental Scan – Professional Services Activities
29