Hot jobs in Singapore’s engineering sectors

There has been rising interest of late for professionals in Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) methods and operational excellence, making them some of the most sought-after this year.

The rising popularity of operational excellence and HSE can in fact be credited to three main reasons. Due to the rising standard of living, consumers today are more particular and have higher expectations.

They want the best products with the best price within the shortest time, which essentially drives the need for the continual improvement of business processes to achieve operational excellence.

Secondly, in terms of the manufacturing processes, the spotlight has been cast on the need to cut down on resources used and reduce waste to improve business sustainability and streamline the manufacturing process. Additionally, stricter regulatory standards and reforms have been put in place by the government, making it necessary for companies to comply with HSE standards and procedures.

The importance of operational excellence

Achieving operational excellence is one of the cornerstones of a successful organisation. It is the philosophy of the workplace where leadership, problem-solving and teamwork ensure continuous high productivity improvements and top-notch operational performance in an organisation.

Therefore employers are always keen on professionals who possess operational excellence skills to add value to the organisation.

The main branches of operational excellence are Lean, Six Sigma and TPM methodologies. Lean highlights the need to reduce waste and cut down on superfluous steps in product creation so as to ensure that only steps that value-add to the product are taken.

For Six Sigma methodology, the focus is more on cutting down on defects and waste, and in so doing improve the quality and efficiency of the system.

These methodologies essentially have the same objective – to eliminate unnecessary items from the business process to guarantee low cost, high quality products at the end of the cycle.

Consequently, managers who are experienced and are familiar with the manufacturing process tend to have a substantial edge over their fellow counterparts as they have the ability to continually improve the efficiency of an organisation’s business process and job performance.

The rise of HSE in engineering

Another area of speciality of engineering that has risen in popularity is Health, Safety & Environment. The combination of stricter regulations by the government recently and the private sectors’ vested interest in devoting funds into the HSE sector has resulted in a higher demand for HSE professionals around the world.

Today, HSE specialists are on the fast track to be amongst the most sought-after professionals in the engineering industry. These HSE specialists play a key role in promoting overall regulation and enforcement of the workplace health, safety and welfare.

No matter which division of engineering one belongs to, HSE experts are still highly in demand as compliance is needed within companies.

Their main responsibilities include ensuring the health and safety of employees, maintaining regulatory compliance, enhancing the business within the community, satisfying customers and promoting profitability.

The future of operational excellence specialists and HSE professionals look promising. It is in the interests of both employers and employees alike to pay attention to these rising trends in the engineering industry, in order to plan ahead and remain competitive in the market.

Wayne Gay, Manager - Engineering division, Robert Walters Singapore. Robert Walters is an award-winning business and one of the leading international recruitment consultancies. www.robertwalters.com.sg.