Talentbank, Malaysia’s leading graduate employability authority with a 15-year legacy of bridging the gap between education and employment, has announced the recipients of the Graduates’ Choice Awards (GCA) 2025. Concurrently, the organisation has revealed plans to launch a comprehensive Career Playbook soon, designed to equip Malaysian graduates with essential tools and knowledge to effectively navigate the search for their dream jobs and build impactful professional careers.

What is the Graduates’ Choice Award?

The GCA has been Malaysia's largest and most credible graduate employer benchmarking award for 8 consecutive years. This year, students from over 100 universities cast a total of 597,036 votes to determine the top employers for 2025.  Uniquely positioned, the GCA distinguishes itself by being entirely driven by student votes, ensuring genuine, transparent results free from external influences, expert panels, or juries. Consequently, the award serves as a critical barometer for employer branding excellence, directly reflecting the preferences and values of Malaysia’s future workforce.

The Importance of the Graduates' Choice Award

Votes by future leaders for future employers—In the increasingly competitive job market, understanding exactly what motivates Malaysia’s fresh graduates has become indispensable. The GCA provides deep insights into young talents’ expectations from their employers, helping them align recruitment strategies to attract, nurture, and retain outstanding talent effectively.

Talentbank’s CEO, Ben Ho, explained, "The Graduates’ Choice Award represents the collective voice of Malaysia's emerging talent. Employers leveraging these insights gain a significant advantage, knowing precisely what graduates seek and expect from their professional journeys."

Celebrating the Top Employers of 2025

These companies represent the gold standard of employer excellence due to their exceptional workplace experience as voted by Malaysian graduates. They offer competitive remuneration packages, and provide amazing opportunities for career growth and leadership development to empower future leaders of tomorrow.

The range of top employers includes world-class conglomerates, major international corporations, industry-leading local enterprises, renowned fashion houses, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, healthcare pioneers, widely recognised telco and tech companies, natural resource organisations as well as popular social media and e-commerce platforms. Many of these employers also offer a conducive working environment that promotes good ergonomics and practical amenities to fulfil most of your work-life needs at your convenience, making the office a productive and inclusive place to be.

Full List of Winners:

https://www.graduateschoiceaward.com/graduates-choice-of-employer-to-work-for-in-2025/

Key Insights from the GCA 2025 Survey

  1. Salary Expectations and Beyond The GCA 2025 survey reveals that competitive remuneration remains important to Malaysian graduates, with desired entry-level salaries typically ranging between RM2,500 and RM3,500. However, progressive employers are now offering salaries upwards of RM5,000. Notably, compensation alone no longer dictates career attractiveness. Graduates increasingly prioritise holistic career experiences, valuing meaningful work, job security, and clear opportunities for long-term growth.

  2. Work-Life Balance Takes Precedence Advancements in technology enabling remote work have reshaped graduate expectations significantly. Today's digital-native graduates—often referred to as "Zoomers"—place high importance on autonomy, flexibility, and work-life balance. A workplace culture that supports employee well-being alongside professional excellence has become essential to attracting and retaining talent.

  3. Emphasis on Career Development and Lifelong Learning Structured career development and continuous professional learning opportunities heavily influence graduate decisions. Companies offering robust training programmes, mentorship, and clear career progression paths are particularly attractive, as they facilitate ongoing skill enhancement, personal growth, and effective succession planning.

  4. Health and Wellness as Essential Criteria Comprehensive healthcare benefits and wellness initiatives have become non-negotiable criteria for Malaysian graduates. Employers who prioritise holistic employee well-being significantly enhance their attractiveness, reflecting a broader societal emphasis on health-conscious workplaces.

Bridging the Graduate Employability Gap through Collaboration

The GCA 2025 survey also highlighted a persistent employability gap, with employers rating graduate career readiness consistently at approximately 6 out of 10 since 2022. Talentbank identifies this as an area for enhanced collaboration between universities and industries.

Universities must engage with employers to ensure curriculums remain relevant, practical, and aligned with industry requirements. Employers also play a vital role in offering internships, mentorship programmes, and training opportunities to ensure graduate workforce readiness.

The Evolution of Graduate Job Search Strategies

Graduate job-seeking methods continue to evolve, with digital platforms, particularly LinkedIn, firmly established as the primary resource. Graduates also rely on career fairs, office tours, mentorship opportunities, employer websites, and specialised online job portals as their secondary resource. Similarly, a handful of top employers have started expanding towards promoting recruitment content on mainstream social media platforms to engage with graduates, while maintaining a consistent brand presence that reflects the company’s values and culture both in-person and online.

Bridging the Gap: 15 Years of Connecting Education and Employment

Talentbank has actively worked to align educational outcomes with workforce requirements over the past 15 years. The organisation has launched several impactful initiatives to uplift graduates in their job search, and assist employers in curating recruitment solutions to appeal to graduates. 

Ben Ho shared, “For the past 15 years, we've been on an extraordinary journey, successfully spearheading more than 500 dynamic career discovery events that have empowered countless fresh graduates across Malaysia. Thanks to the unwavering trust and support from our valued stakeholders, we've been privileged to introduce prestigious awards, meticulously shaped by comprehensive research into the feedback from both employers and students. These insights have been instrumental in guiding and transforming Malaysia’s employment landscape. Our fruitful collaborations with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), extensive university outreach, and innovative engagement initiatives, coupled with tailored recruitment strategies, have significantly enhanced the employability, skills, and future-readiness of our nation’s graduates. We remain committed and inspired to continue fostering meaningful opportunities and impactful careers for generations to come.”

Launching Soon: The Career Playbook – A Milestone Initiative

Talentbank is excited to announce the upcoming launch of our Career Playbook, coinciding with our anniversary celebration. Tailored specifically for the graduates, this essential guide will offer practical career strategies, real-world examples, and insightful advice to help graduates successfully enter and thrive in the workforce, while effectively managing early career challenges.

Ben Ho shared, "The Career Playbook is designed as a comprehensive blueprint, equipping Malaysian graduates with essential skills and insights to confidently navigate the corporate landscape and build sustainable, successful careers. It serves as an extensive career toolkit that transcends traditional job search strategies, preparing graduates holistically for both personal and professional success."

Available soon in both printed and digital formats, the Career Playbook ensures accessibility to graduates across the country, reinforcing Talentbank's steadfast commitment to nurturing Malaysia’s future talent.

Looking Ahead: GCA 2026 and Beyond

Students can now vote for the Graduates' Choice Award 2026, helping to further set the standards for future employers.

Ben Ho concluded, "The GCA continuously empowers graduates, offering them a significant voice in shaping their professional futures. Their votes today influence employer improvements tomorrow, creating an ecosystem of mutual benefit that advances graduate employability across Malaysia."

Cast your vote for the GCA 2026 at www.graduateschoiceaward.com/vote to crown the top graduate employers of 2026.

This content is provided by Talentbank

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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