Sectors with buoyant recruitment activity revealed

Despite global uncertainty our latest Hays Quarterly Report for the October-December quarter shows there are still a number of areas actively hiring as companies pursue aggressive growth and expansion plans.

The market continues to remain active following ongoing investment by the government and private investors in a number of key sectors including oil and gas, pharmaceutical, R&D, banking and financial services and tourism.

Singapore remains a prime choice for foreign investors as companies expand their operations to ride on the success of the Asian growth story and capitalise on the rise of the middle-class across emerging economies like China, India and ASEAN.

As a result, recruiting is still buoyant, even at the senior level, as companies continue to ramp up their operations in the midst of growing competition entering the region.

Confidence still remains, even in the banking sector. While we are aware of the significant redundancies announced in recent weeks across several global banks and the sense of uncertainty within some employers, there are others who have made no change to their hiring plans.

In commerce and industry for example, the real estate industry is still seeing growth with companies going ahead with their expansion plans, in particular government linked companies as they have strong balance sheet.

The pharmaceutical and FMCG sectors also continue to flourish due to investment in Asian operations – and this is attracting plenty of quality candidates.

This activity is good news for candidates who now have more options, whether they are after temporary, permanent or contract roles, particularly those with certain skill sets. With the introduction of more projects, employers are increasingly looking to employ contract staff, and consequently companies are competing to fulfil their contract commitments at a much speedier pace.

The Hays Quarterly Report lists the skills in most demand in Singapore for the October - December quarter:

Hays Accountancy & Finance: Within banking, Product Control hiring remains strong. Regulatory reporting candidates are in high in demand. Niche Internal Auditors with in-house banking experience are also highly sought after. In commerce and industry, senior finance professionals with niche skills such as debt/capital markets expertise are wanted.

Hays Banking: There are still pockets of permanent hiring at many if not most of the banks in Singapore in particular areas such as Risk Management (credit), Corporate and Transaction Banking and Corporate Finance. Financial Reporting Analysts, Internal Auditors, Investment Risk Managers and Regulatory Reporting Analysts continue to be hotspots.

Hays Construction: Senior project positions and commercial positions remain in demand from contractors, as well as specific site positions. Such vacancies include Estimators, WSHO’s and Project and Construction Managers.
Hays Finance Technology: Front Office Technical Support candidates are in demand within the commodities and emerging markets space. Vendor led technology specialists continue to be sought with Murex, Wall Street and Core Banking Software experience most desired. Business Analysts with good business knowledge within Risk and Operational reporting are wanted. Front Office Developers with good FX skills continue to be in demand.
Hays Human Resources: The need for HR Business Partners remains high. We have also seen an increase in demand for specialist positions such as L&D, O&D and C&B within both financial services and commercial organisations.
Hays Information Technology: The market is hiring a lot of Sales, Middleware and SAP candidates to help with new projects being launched in the manufacturing sector.

Hays Insurance: Claims Assistants, Compliance Officers and Underwriters are needed. Also in demand are experienced Insurance Accountants, Senior Brokers and Bancassurance Development Managers.

Hays Office Professionals: Companies from the UK and Australia have set up operations in Singapore and as a result require Office Managers with local knowledge and experience. Polished juniors with good excel skills are needed for temporary roles as companies grow.

Hays Oil & Gas: We continue to see a shortage of Subsea personnel in all areas but most noticeably in the deep water area. Project Controls personnel and Geo-science professionals are also needed in the thriving market.

Hays Pharma: Manufacturing and commercial roles continue to be the current hotspots for Singapore’s pharmaceutical industry.

Hays Sales & Marketing: Marketing Managers, Customer Service Executives and Sales Managers are in demand. In the consumer segment for FMCG and luxury brands, there has been a great demand for sales, marketing and communication specialists.

Hays Supply Chain: There is high demand for New Product Introduction and Supply Planning Managers, Purchasing Development Specialists and Strategic Sourcing Managers. Supplier Quality Managers, Manufacturing Engineers and Regional Logistics Specialists are also sought.

View the full Hays Quarterly Report at www.hays.com.sg/report 

Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore