Gain valuable insights into Malaysia’s dynamic job market directly from our experts, all captured in the 2025 Job Market Outlook and Salary Guide. This digital report offers analysis of labour market trends, hiring patterns and salary benchmarks across key sectors in Malaysia.
key legal hiring trends in malaysia
Hiring activities for legal professionals in Malaysia have notably increased and diversified.
As companies expand their operations in Malaysia or have restructured certain legal and governance functions from traditional regional hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong to be based in Malaysia, driving the demand for local legal and corporate secretarial talent.
data centres and green energy driving demand for industry expertise
“Heavy industries” like the energy, manufacturing and construction sectors are active in expansion, requiring legal professionals with more industry-specific technical expertise and experience. The growth in renewable energy, data centres and semiconductor sectors in Malaysia has further fueled this demand.
- Data Centres: Partnerships between construction and property conglomerates and large tech and telco firms to establish data centres in Malaysia have created a need for lawyers experienced in Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts, data and software-related contracts, particularly in Cloud Services and SaaS.
- Renewable Energy: The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) approved green investments worth RM54.7 billion to date in December 2023, with the majority in renewable energy. Implementation of the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) is expected to lift gross domestic product value from RM25 billion in 2023 to RM220 billion and generate 310,000 jobs by 2050. Apart from domestic investments, this growth is also supported by foreign firms from Singapore and China, necessitating legal expertise in compliance and regulatory matters.
Multinational companies and local firms from the Semiconductor, Renewable Energy, Property, Construction and Data Centres industries are expanding into new markets and putting in plans to pursue partnerships and IPOs, which heightens the need for lawyers familiar with cross-market corporate exercises and regulations, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions (M&As), IPO and corporate governance requirements in incorporation stages.
While there is a strong demand for these highly specialised and experienced talent, securing the positions can be challenging due to high employer requirements for technical skills and increasing demand for Mandarin language proficiency. At the same time, talent wants to work with companies that can continue offering similar opportunities in the long term so that they can have the opportunity to deepen their capabilities.
Employers also have high expectations for candidates, seeking specialised skills to meet specific role requirements. For instance, Data Centres prefer lawyers with construction experience and Semiconductor companies seek specialists with tender and legal procurement backgrounds.
high legal talent demand with expertise in data and securities in shared services and finance sector
The Shared Services sector is also booming, with an expected continued growth through 2025. Regional legal roles are evolving to require advanced skills in various commercial legal areas, like technology contracts, general commercial contracts (sales, marketing, goods and services), procurement legal contracts, and compliance with data protection laws like PDPA and GDPR.
In the Financial Services Sector, the launch of two digital banks this year will prompt more to introduce their digital banking services and offer a wider variety of financial products in 2025. It is also apparent that institutional banks and new financial services players are creating more roles in private trust, premier banking and securities, seeking legal professionals familiar with Securities Commission guidelines, capital markets requirements and governance related to investment matters, especially for the high-net-worth individuals market.
Legal talent with prior experience in the trustee sector, private wealth management, estate planning, and investments would have a distinct advantage due to the direct technical fit.
corporate secretaries will be taking up more important job responsibilities
The corporate secretarial talent market in Malaysia is scarce, as talent demand surpasses labour supply. It is common for good talent to receive multiple job offers and employers can often take up to 9 months to secure suitable talent, further highlighting a significant scarcity in this field.
Employers now expect Corporate Secretaries to take on governance advisory roles rather than merely administrative functions.
The responsibilities previously held by Heads of Legal or external Corporate Secretaries are now handed over to in-house Corporate Secretaries, as an in-house point of contact to align on regulatory needs helps streamline communications and enhance efficiency.
This transition offers growth opportunities for Corporate Secretaries, allowing them to develop skill sets in communication and stakeholder management.
Companies want Corporate Secretaries to play a more advisory role to their senior stakeholders, and their responsibilities now include:
- Advising the Board of Directors on governance and compliance with regulatory requirements from the Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia and Central Bank of Malaysia
- Managing conflicts of interest at committee and board levels
This shift has increased demand for certified Corporate Secretaries with governance and corporate exercise exposure, particularly those accredited by The Chartered Governance Institute and Malaysian Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (MAICSA), who can effectively navigate governance issues.
upskilling legal professionals to protect and advance business interests
Private practices in Malaysia continue to prioritise candidates with strong educational backgrounds and experience from reputable firms, emphasising the importance of excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
We’ve observed senior partners leaving their employers to establish their own practices together with their former team. This move allows them greater control over client and project selection, business management, and the opportunity to establish a new working culture.
In-house legal teams within the commercial sectors are increasingly merging legal and compliance functions and streamlining governance and compliance processes related to regulatory policies and framework, training and internal governance controls such as data protection, anti-bribery & corruption (ABAC), whistleblowing, environmental and sustainability policies has become more evident. Employers are also seeking strategic legal professionals with strong commercial acumen, as well as agility to establish innovative solutions to regulatory challenges and varying business needs.
Senior legal professionals who move from Private Practices to In-House roles are often motivated by the desire to continue practising law while honing their commercial skills. Furthering their career in in-house roles allows them to focus on legal work without the pressures of business development responsibilities that are typically expected from them if they were to progress to Partner level in the firm. In-house positions also often provide a better work-life balance, as lawyers have greater flexibility in managing their workloads and deadlines.
However, candidates may need to be flexible with salary negotiations, as in-house roles typically do not offer the same significant pay increases as Private Practice. Legal professionals transitioning from private practice to in-house roles should be proficient in drafting commercial contracts, giving corporate lawyers a competitive edge.
hiring expectations and salary benchmarks in malaysia’s legal industry
Talent expectations in Malaysia's legal industry remain consistent with previous years. Legal professionals value the ability to work from home where they can have the flexibility to focus on work or have confidential discussions in a more comfortable space. They also prioritise working with teams and managers they connect with.
Some of the key considerations for talent are:
- Scope of Work: Candidates are evaluating the breadth of their responsibilities and opportunities for upskilling and promotion within organisations.
- Internal Mobility: Despite an increase in local job opportunities, many candidates showed interest in exploring roles in markets like Singapore and Hong Kong, where average salaries are typically higher.
- Salary Expectations: Legal professionals typically anticipate a 30% salary increase when changing employers. However, employers often negotiate salaries due to lower market increment rates. Consequently, companies are expected to manage internal equity while focusing on overall prospects.
download randstad malaysia’s 2025 job market and salary trends report
Discover the latest talent insights and salary benchmarks for legal jobs, ranging from data protection to legal counsel and more, from our 2025 Job Market Outlook and Salary guide.
The report examines key talent expectations as well as key sector trends and salary benchmarks in the following industries:
- accounting and finance
- construction and property
- human resources
- manufacturing
- sales and marketing
- shared services
- technology
- contracting
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