Malaysia marketers, here's your salary guide for 2026

Marketing professionals in Malaysia are heading into 2026 with growing confidence, rising salary expectations, and a heightened appetite for career movement, according to new insights from Robert Walters.

According to the recruitment firm’s latest insights, 98% of businesses in Malaysia are planning to give pay rises in 2026, while 95% of marketing professionals expect to receive one. At the same time, 86% of marketers are actively looking for a new role, with average tenure sitting at just 2.2 years. For marketers, this signals a candidate-led market where movement is not only common but expected.

Confidence remains high, with 79% of professionals saying they feel positive about job opportunities in the sector. Employers, however, are feeling the pressure. Demand for sales and marketing talent continues to outstrip supply, making it increasingly difficult to hire, particularly at senior and revenue-driving levels.

Sales directors and heads of sales top the list of the most sought-after professionals, followed closely by business development leaders and sales and key account management roles, particularly within FMCG and healthcare. While marketing roles are not explicitly ranked, Robert Walters’ data suggests that commercial, growth-oriented capabilities are heavily influencing hiring priorities across the wider marketing and communications ecosystem.

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What marketers value most in an employer in 2026 reflects this shift. The top priorities cited were inspiring colleagues and culture, excellent compensation and benefits, and flexible working arrangements, reinforcing that pay alone is no longer enough to secure or retain top talent.

Below, Robert Walters has provided a snapshot of what you should be earning in 2026 in the marketing and communications industry in Malaysia. 

Marketing

Digital marketing

PR and communications

Despite ongoing conversations around AI-driven job displacement, Malaysia is closing out 2025 with a hiring landscape shaped by sustained labour demand, rapid digital growth, and increasing competition for specialised talent. According to Robert Walters, the country maintained a low unemployment rate of approximately 3%, signalling a tight labour market even as conversations around AI-driven job displacement intensified. While automation continues to reshape roles, demand has remained strong, particularly in digital and technical domains.

Gan Hua Choon, country manager at Robert Walters Malaysia, noted that hiring demand has been “acute in certain digital and technical domains as the growth of the digital economy intensified demand for niche skills.” This demand has been fuelled in part by Malaysia’s emergence as a data centre and AI infrastructure hub, with significant public and private investments flowing into grid upgrades, energy projects, and digital infrastructure.

As a result, employers across industries have faced ongoing shortages in digital, AI, cybersecurity, and specialised engineering roles, prompting greater focus on retention strategies and targeted salary increments.

External factors have also influenced hiring dynamics. New rules governing AI chip movement and exports have affected supply chains and investment decisions, increasing demand for compliance expertise and creating pockets of heightened hiring activity in specific locations. In response to continued volatility, businesses have adopted more flexible workforce strategies.

Contract hiring also gained momentum in 2025 as organisations scaled teams up or down to meet project-based demands, a trend expected to persist into 2026 following the introduction of the Gig Worker Bill.

What employers can expect in 2026

Looking ahead, employers are expected to place greater emphasis on learning agility and skills-based hiring. As Gan explained, “Employers are aware that roles will evolve fast with AI, automation and digital transformation. While they’re after candidates with the right skill sets, they will increasingly look for data literacy, digital fluency and AI-adjacent skills, which are a proxy for candidates’ ability to learn and adapt.” Job specifications are also expected to increasingly outline future skills that candidates will need to develop on the role.

AI is simultaneously reshaping recruitment itself. Malaysian employers are beginning to integrate AI into hiring workflows, from matching employees to internal roles to using predictive analytics to forecast attrition. However, talent attraction remains challenging. Beyond competitive pay, candidates now prioritise flexibility, career development, and well-being.

As wages are expected to rise broadly in line with inflation in 2026, with job movers seeing increments of 15% to 20%, employers will need to balance compensation with culture, growth opportunities, and workforce adaptability to remain competitive.

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