Hybrid Skills Framework in The IR4.0 and Recruitment Decisions in Hiring Graduates: A Malaysian Employer’s Perspective

This case study paper explores the integration of skills graduates should possess to meet employers’ expectations in the IR4.0 era and to what extent the hybrid skills demanded may impact employment. The construction of skills integration later will lead to the development of hybrid skills framework and recruitment decisions in the IR4.0 era for future job demands. The hybrid skills framework is developed to facilitate graduates’ employability in the IR4.0 era and future job demands. A case study approach was adopted to construct a hybrid skills framework based on Malaysian employers’ opinions through semi-structured interviews conducted via online digital platforms. Design/methodology/approach– Case study data were collected through interviews with 10 Malaysian employers with extensive experience hiring graduates in the IR4.0 era. The recorded data were transcribed, and the transcripts were subjected to content analysis. Findings– There is consensus on the need for hybrid skills to meet the IR4.0 job demands, which vary depending on the organisation’s sectors. The hybrid skills framework was constructed into four components: personal-soft digital, socio-soft digital, method-soft digital and neo-technical skills. The construction of hybrid skills leads to discovering how the hybrid skills influence employers’ recruitment decisions, leading to noteworthy findings. Research implications– This study suggests that higher education institutions, policymakers, and employers should reorientate their efforts to assist graduates in developing hybrid skills that promote employability to meet future job demands. This study creates a nexus between human capital investment and an organisation’s resources in discovering hybrid talents and their impacts on recruitment. Originality/Value– The study represents a hybrid skills framework that heavily influences Malaysian employers’ recruitment decisions. The hybrid skills framework provides a trajectory for stakeholders to recognise and solve the lack of skills issues among the graduates. Moreover, this is the first study that explores the nexus between skills and employers’ recruitment strategiesin the IR4.0 era in a Malaysian context.