Finance & Accounting Market Insights Q2 2017

The first quarter of 2017 saw a steady increase in Finance & Accounting recruitment, both within Corporate and Shared Services settings. We saw that Malaysia continued to benefit from the offshoring of functions from higher cost locations, resulting in an accompanying demand for professionals to support these functions.

Corporates sought business partnership in Finance

In Q1 2017, we saw Corporates having an increased demand for Finance Business Partners, Commercial Accountants and Finance Planning Analysts, as companies looked for more rigorous support across commercial functions when it comes to decision-making. For these professionals, demand has been outstripping supply and we expect this trend to continue into the months ahead.

We witnessed companies growing manufacturing and supply chain operations in Malaysia, leading to an increased demand for Finance & Accounting professionals with strong experience partnering with these operational business functions. Such talent will continue to see an acute shortage in the market, and job seekers with relevant experience will be in an advantageous position when looking for jobs.

Shared Services in need of talent boost

Within the Shared Services area, we observed an active hiring trend for Finance & Accounting professionals partly due to attrition and replacement hiring. We also saw, in Shared Services operations, an average attrition rate of circa 20% which is unlikely to see a dramatic reduction in the next few months. As we move ahead into 2017, we expect the talent demand in this area to continue.

This robust hiring demand in Shared Services was also a spillover effect of multinationals and financial institutions migrating regional and global functions to Malaysia. While this has been fuelling demand for Finance & Accounting professionals experienced in running these functions, we saw organisations challenged to embark on regional to global searches to find qualified professionals for these functions, many of which were still at the infancy stage in Malaysia.

Bright days ahead for Finance & Accounting professionals

We expect to see a continually optimistic hiring outlook for Finance & Accounting talent as we move into Q2 2017. With ongoing trends such as migration of regional and global functions to Malaysia, as well as the continuing need for Finance business partnership, professionals who can meet these emerging organisational needs will be attractive to employers.

Finance & Accounting
Salary Report for Q2 2017*

Commerce & Industry
Job title	Years of experience	Annual salary range (RM$)
Audit / Internal Control
Head of Audit	12+	250K–300K
Internal / External Audit Manager	5–10	100K–144K
Internal / External Auditor	3–5	80K–100K
Financial Accounting
CFO	15+	360K–540K
Finance Director	12–15	240K–360K
Regional Financial Controller	10+	200K–300K
Financial Controller	8–10	180K–230K
Finance / Accounting Manager	6–10	84K–180K
Financial Accountant	3–6	70K–100K
Accounts Payable / Accounts Receivable Accountant	Up to 8 years	50K–100K
Management Accounting
Management Accounting Manager	8–10	120K–144K
Senior Management Accountant	5–8	90K–120K
Management Accountant	3–5	60K–90K
Planning & Analysis
Head of Planning & Analysis	10–12	216K–300K
Financial Planning & Analysis Manager	8–10	144K–180K
Senior Financial Analyst	6–8	96K–120K
Financial Analyst	3–6	50K–96K
Tax
Vice President / Head of Tax / Tax Director	12+	220K–300K
Tax Manager	8–10	120K–200K
Tax Accountant / Senior Accountant	3–7	50K–120K
Treasury
Head of Treasury	10–12	200K–300K
Treasury Manager	7–10	150K–190K
Treasury Accountant	3–6	70K–100K

*Notes about salary table:

Titles and levels vary from organisation to organisation.
The salary ranges given are only approximate guides. For tailored salary advice, please contact us directly.
12-month base salaries are assumed.
All other benefits and bonuses are in addition to these figures.
Bonus ranges can vary significantly from company to company and will be influenced by market conditions, business and individual performances. Bonus ranges from 1 month at the low end to 100%+ at the upper.
Holiday entitlements range from 12–25 days with senior executives not usually receiving less than 18 days. Less than 15 is very rare and 20 days is becoming the norm.
Healthcare policies are standard.
Pension plans vary with some companies offering greater than the standard contribution. Top up schemes can increase employer contribution levels as much as 15– 20% of the base salary for senior executives.