KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Employers will look to fill more non-traditional roles in 2014, with priority given to versatile and technologically-adept workers, according to global recruiter Hays.

In its Top 10 talent trends for 2014 findings, Hays said that “Big Data skills”, the ability to process huge amount of information, and the ability to grasp social media better are likely to be the two top talent trends that will shape recruitment for Malaysia next year.

“There is no doubt that the desire to process huge amounts of data in near real-time will drive innovation for how that can be harnessed to inform business and marketing opportunities.

“Therefore in 2014 we will see an increased demand for IT project managers and business analysts who are involved in data manipulation projects,” Chris Mead, regional director of Hays in Malaysia and Singapore, said in a statement.

Mead noted that the “crossover roles” will be a big area of growth as the technology, marketing and finance worlds integrate.

“It will be key to find people who can move across all sectors with multilevel knowledge,” he said.

At the same time the advent of technology in the marketing and finance industry will create a need for workers with multilevel hybrid knowledge with superior grasp of the social media.

“For example, in the digital marketing space professionals need to engage technology to inform their decisions. Meanwhile marketing analytics professionals use modelling and analytics practices to improve their marketing outcomes,” Mead said.

Business analysis is another example where professionals have a functional background and in-depth knowledge of their industry and company, but also need to translate requirements in technical areas.

“As a result, marketing and finance professionals will need to enhance their technology skills to remain competitive in the jobs market,” Hays said.

Other trends for recruitment in 2014 are set to revolve around digital technology, with demands for workers skilled in mobile app developments expected to rise, according to Hays.

The recruitment expert also noted that high-level skilled professionals to be in short supply for 2014.

“Unemployment is very low and employers continue to struggle to attract highly skilled and experienced professionals,” it said.

Other recruitment trends are the growth of more contract-based jobs and prioritisation on workers with experience in genuine multinational companies (MNCs).

Hays also noted that employers should focus more on retaining its workforce as employees are now more confident to explore options.