Just want to know if you guys experience what I've observed working for MNC...

Do you get the feeling your parent company look down on South East Asians especially Malaysians??

My current and my past companies are both western MNC...

During global committee conference... I've notice that they don't take suggestion and ideas from people who are south east asians seriously compared to when the ideas or opinions are coming from those western countries... (Malaysian/Indonesians/Thai etc.)... Singaporeans are somehow an exception eventhough they are also from south east asia.....

I realise they tend to look down people from countries that are not developed...

I think the most obvious bias against Malaysians that I've experienced was from my previous company... it seems that secondment for special assignment often reserve for people from our Singapore office and hardly anyone from our Malaysian office got chosen for secondment program.... even though our Malaysian office is technically more profitable and generate higher revenue and bottom line...

Our office once recommended one of our very high potential staff for a 2+2 years secondment program (meant for those young talents - late 20's early 30's) as part of our strategy to groom this fella up ... he is an overseas masters graduate and also a CFA Chartered holder ... highly knowledgeable and very proficient in the English language ...

The head office ended up taking someone from Singapore.. and that person the head office took is just a regular Singapore finance grad from one of the lesser known Singapore college... no CFA (can't get through level 2)and he speaks English with a very heavy Singaporean accent ... no other special achievement either..


It got me thinking... do MNC look down on SEA/Developing countries....

Share your experience here..

This post has been edited by holypredator: Sep 10 2021, 10:05 PM

More like an EGO issue... those western MNC tend to think their own western people are better...

They don't show it to you like upfront reject your idea and everything... but behind the scene.. we can tell.. they don't take us seriously and place us on last priority....


Even when it comes to grooming talent... they rather take people from developed countries despite having a better candidate from Malaysia...

Wasn't the first time either.... our Thailand office had a ACCA holder... and was the global top scorer for one of the advanced paper.... speaks very fluent English also cause she was from one of the Ivy league US uni.... she was like a rare gem to Thailand cause I shit you not... if you dealt with Thailand people before... FUUHHHHH can't understand what the shit are they saying with their thick accent.. even if there are some who are able to converse in English.. most of them tend to have broken English with poor grammar...


I got a feeling it has something to do with our pay structure... technically speaking manager salary from Singapore is very close to the western salary...whereas Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam/Indonesia/Philipines etc.... our manager is equivalent to their fresh graduate salary... hence the HQ must have the perception that our quality is just not as good... just my assumption cause I've asked global HR before how they adjust salary for secondment candidates and it seems that they will just take your current salary and add in cost of living ...in a way you don't gain or lose in terms of take home salary but for most SEA countries ... our salary is just well below par international rate

I guess your peers capability level doesn't help either..

just like i've mentioned about Thailand.... you got 1 rare gem... but your peers don't give the head office confidence.. the stigma will always be there...

In Malaysia also the same... there will always be that few talents... but if the entire office gives them the impression that we are not up to standard... even if you are top global candidate also you get shun away..


Obviously... this differs from industry to industry....

Yea... AMDK ain't that hardworking or smart... in fact... they are so lazy that even when higher education is free... they don't make use of it and take postgraduate courses...

Those exceptional AMDK who go on to take masters and chartered... they end up climbing super fast ...

There are "less" cable cable in most western country but of course... there is also this pandering to black people (not trying to sound racist but the BLM movement really affected many western companies' management policies).. whereby above average blacks get first choice for promotion... for "diversity" sake on the higher management level...

This post has been edited by holypredator: Sep 10 2021, 10:11 PM

Junior people don't attend global town hall meetings...

it is up to local higher management to push for secondment programs...

I've checked with one of my friend in global HR... he secretly told me they don't prefer to take people from developing country cause they think they need talented people and not just any average joe ... in other words... he is implying that Singapore produce talent while Malaysia produce shit... maybe they stupid or ignorant... they somehow base talent on your existing salary + your country's reputation... the salary part I think is because if based on their salary adjustment guide (current salary + adjusted cost of living... not sure the actual formula)... when adjusted for a Malaysian local Manager... they can't match with their "manager" or "AM" rank ... which is what they want for the secondment program....

I think they dealt with too many South East Asians who can't speak proper English and can't deliver what they want that they assume talents only can be found from SG/Japan/Korea/HK/Taiwan

This post has been edited by holypredator: Sep 10 2021, 10:21 PM

It's so sad that such stigma on Malaysia exist..