Good news for all you unemployed or just looking for something new — more employers in Singapore are looking to hire this year.
A report by recruiters Hudson noted that 41 percent of 383 employers surveyed plan to increase headcount in the new year, while only 6 percent plan to reduce it. Majority (53 percent) just want to keep the status quo with the current headcount though.
“Employers are feeling confident enough to put hiring back on the agenda,” said Hudson Singapore Regional Director Emmanuel White. “It’s positive to see that organisations are planning for growth. However, the more buoyant the economy, the harder it will be to attract people with the right skills and experience. In this market, there will be strong competition for talent”.
Industries definitely on the lookout for more people to join their ranks include Media/PR/Advertising (59 percent), Professional Services (57 percent) and IT&T (53 percent). White notes that many companies are now outsourcing specialist activities such as digital marketing and e-commerce to agencies, and that should drive demand for more employees.
Employees in Singapore are also feeling like they should be on the move, with 34 percent of the 758 people surveyed being active in looking for a new job, while 40 percent are passively seeking one. The restlessness is palpable to the point that 65 percent of the employees surveyed would even consider moving to other countries for work, with Australia, the United States and China as their top three choices.
“Employees in Singapore are focused on how to move onwards and upwards in their career, and most are willing to move if it’s a step in this direction,” White commented. They are looking to sectors experiencing growth, such as finance and healthcare, as well as to other western, English-speaking countries that will give them a global CV”.
The Hudson report concludes that the overall outlook for Singapore’s employment market this year is competitive, with robust hiring activity and employees on the hunt for opportunity.
