Singapore's job hotspots for 2015

By Chris Mead

As Singapore's economy is tipped to grow at a healthy rate of 3 percent in 2015 it will continue to generate a wide variety of jobs, for which employers will continue to seek skilled Singaporean candidates. Will your skills be in demand in 2015?

The Singapore Government is continuing its policy of restricting foreign talent (mainly at mid-level), and as a result many organisations are reluctant to take the risk of sponsoring work visas and prefer to consider local candidates. So where are the employment hotspots in the first quarter of 2015?

In accountancy & finance we are seeing many roles in commerce with employers recruiting entry-level Accountants with SAP and Oracle skills. Candidates with costing skills are currently in short supply in the FMCG and manufacturing industries. Direct and indirect tax professionals are still in short supply as well.

Consulting continues to be a growth area within professional services firms. In particular, candidates who have experience advising financial services clients or working in larger strategy houses, are in high demand.

We are seeing demand for Internal Auditors, compliance professionals, individual tax/global mobility professionals, and indirect tax professionals.

Hiring managers in the banking sector will be active interviewing candidates this quarter in preparation for the seasonal spike in candidate movement following the payment of bonuses. They are particularly interested in operational risk and compliance specialists due to the consistently changing regulatory landscape and focus on control measures.

Anti-money laundering (AML), know your customer (KYC), and client onboarding also continue to dominate the demand trends. We are also seeing demand for specialists in Banking and Trade Finance operations, Change Managers, and Risk Managers.

In construction, ongoing MRT rail and tunnel projects in Singapore require experienced Tunnel Managers with local or international experience. Also, Tender Managers who are flexible and have experience running building or civil projects in Singapore are sought after.

Demand is also strong for Construction Managers, Quantity Surveyors (Pre and Post-Contracts), Mechanical Design Engineers, and Electrical Design Engineers. We're also seeing high demand for IT talent as employers look to further grow their businesses in Singapore.

While there is no shortage of jobs, we are seeing strong competition among candidates for senior positions. We are also seeing significant demand for Product Managers, Enterprise Architects, Mobile Developers, IT Managers, and Business/Systems Analysts.

These are just some of the many skills currently in demand in Singapore. Jobs are also available in finance technology, contact centres, human resources, legal, insurance, life sciences, office professionals, procurement, property sales & marketing, oil & gas, and supply chain.

View our latest Hays Quarterly Report to see the full list of jobs in demand.

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