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DELAYS in hiring are increasingly being recognised as a structural risk to business performance, as organisations struggle to secure critical talent quickly enough to sustain growth, transformation and expansion plans.
In response, Malaysian human capital firm People Empowered Malaysia (PEM) has launched Talent on Demand, a model designed to deploy experienced mid- and senior-level professionals within 72 hours.
The initiative reflects a growing urgency among companies to bridge the gap between identifying capability needs and putting the right people in place.
The move comes at a time when businesses are accelerating transformation programmes, pursuing regional expansion and tightening cost structures.
Yet the time required to identify and hire suitable candidates has become a significant bottleneck, often delaying execution at crucial junctures.
Recent findings underscore the scale of the challenge.
The Randstad 2025 Job Market Outlook and Salary Guide reports that 56 per cent of employers are struggling to find candidates with the appropriate skills, highlighting a widening mismatch between demand and available talent.
Meanwhile, PwC’s 28th Annual Global CEO Survey (2025) ranks the shortage of skilled workers as the leading concern among Malaysian chief executives, ahead of inflation, cybersecurity risks and broader economic uncertainty.
“Companies don’t lose to strategy — they lose time,” said PEM Managing Director Zailani Ali.
“The real breakdown happens in the gap between when capability is needed and when it is secured. Talent on Demand is built to close that gap.”
Positioned between traditional recruitment and consulting, the Talent on Demand model provides organisations with immediate access to pre-vetted professionals, removing the extended lead times and fixed commitments typically associated with conventional hiring processes.
The approach allows businesses to engage talent on an interim, project-based, fractional or advisory basis, while retaining the flexibility to assess performance before making permanent hiring decisions.
“The challenge today is no longer hiring — it is access to capability, at speed,” said Abby Grewal, Co-Founder of PEM and Managing Director of Selective Search.
“During periods of growth or transformation, organisations need proven talent almost immediately.”
With competition intensifying for a limited pool of experienced professionals, the ability to deploy qualified talent within days, rather than the conventional two to three months, is increasingly seen as a competitive advantage.
PEM said the Talent on Demand model is now available across Malaysia, the Gulf Cooperation Council and wider Asia, supported by its regional talent networks and operational presence in Kuala Lumpur and London. - April 3, 2026
