Telecom M&A - What will happen to recruitment? An Asia forecast from a recruiter's view

Dwelving into the M&A that has been recently taking place, and continuously moving as so, the overview in Asia and the recruitment perspective has a limited focus.

I had taken an opportunity to go through some reads and share views on what will happen to recruitment as an overview, let's explore together!

Recent Mergers across Asia

• Thailand's?DTAC - TRUE
• Malaysia's Celcom - Digi
• Taiwan FET - Taiwan Mobile

Studies on M&A within Asia

The journal published a significant 2 decades ago, Myeong-Cheol Park et al., (2002), finds that the negative impacts are from international mergers rather than in local ones.

The Flaw

Limited or no significant study in local Asia specific nor APAC, to take as a lesson learnt.

The recent merger in Malaysia of Celcom-Digi, in a newsletter shared by Azmi & Associates, 2022 in "The Effect of Competition on the Merger of CELCOM and DIGI", aired out the lesson learnt as a general although not within recruitment, was not available on the Asia reference.

Economic Impacts

Although plenty from the International M&A seems to have impacts on its own from economic fluctuations and bids (Myeong-Cheol Park et al., 2002)

What will happen to recruitment??

Attrition (in short term)

"In a merger, two different work cultures will also come together. This could lead to a rise in attrition, especially in the short-term", said a HR Consultant in an overview of a news article at FreeMalaysiaToday, (or well known as FMT), on "Fear of job losses inevitable with merger", (Wong.J., 2022). This was an interview for the Celcom-Digi merger that went live this year.

Despite what is the recent trend airing out on layoffs, Attrition is happening without a bigger flashlight from the beams in every corner as we speak.

The rise in Contractual hiring

A turnover in macroeconomics had an impact on what a business is oin survival and another turnover to another, and it's not because of a pandemic is really a question of staying in permanent roles

This will be a candidate preference instead of a higher salary package that concentrates on skills-based hiring

From "non-solicit" to "beneficial" agreements

Most Telco companies may have this biding for employment contracts on hiring a person after a cool over a period if the individual may have worked with a company of a nature in competitor/client.

What can be a change to come, is that with both perm / contractual hirings, this may take place where no individual is held to join a competitor/client directly should there be a fair opportunity in place, provided that does not damage the business respectively but the value/skill based is what the individual is bringing.

This is subjective and may be working in a different trend as the microeconomic shifts per country/culture needs, it is a consumer-based business anyway.

In a wrap

With what has been shifting across the macro world, Asia has been a focus within the economic boom for business since day 1 and will continue to be.

What is a trend now, will be history in a journal / research, that someone is going to benefit the study from BUT the recruitment will remain in place

Businesses will continue to hire and more to discuss on my second publish.

What is your view on this? write over the comment, and let's engage!