Singapore's top 10 talent trends for 2017

Employers in Singapore will place greater emphasis on the personality and soft skills of candidates to fill vacancies in 2017. This is just one of the top 10 talent trends Hays predicts we'll see occur in 2017 in Singapore.

One soft skill particularly valued by employers in candidates are those who are able to work independently. This trait is believed to be vital by employers looking to drive economic growth at a time when digital transformation is positively impacting the regional economy.

Employers are fully prepared for the volatile nature of the market and they will hire candidates who have strong personalities as they can adapt easily to fast-changing market conditions. Candidates who have prior experience of creating new sales channels and expanding market share via new technology will stand out.

Entrepreneurship is always a driver for the economy, and a sizzling growth of startups in Singapore will create new roles for ambitious young Singaporeans. A number of new opportunities coming onto the market will see a talent shortage becoming a problem for some industries in 2017.

Hays top 10 talent trends for 2017 are:

1. Personalities and soft skills: In 2017, we expect companies to show preference towards candidates who have a flexible and nimble mindset as they're more likely to adapt to the volatile nature of some industries in Singapore. This will benefit candidates who have strong soft skills with many employers paying particular attention to candidates who work well independently.

2. Booming startup firms: A large number of roles will be created by startup firms in 2017. Front and centre in the hiring pipeline will be junior-level candidates who are ambitious and aspirational in line with the culture of startup firms. Technology firms will be on the lookout for professionals in the areas of digital marketing, data analytics, and financial and payment software in 2017.

3. Digital transformation: Digital transformation is booming in Singapore and as a result, we will see the number of digital marketing manager roles increase throughout the year. Their importance in digital transformation is measured by their ability to interpret real-time results and consumer data to increase business leads and conversions.

4. Data-driven sales strategies: Some of the leading insurance firms in Singapore will target data analytics candidates in 2017. This is due to their ability to interpret customer insights via data analysis. Candidates who can demonstrate creative thinking will fare best as they can morph big data into useful insights for companies to map out better marketing and sales strategies.

5. Risk-management: In tandem with many companies' rising awareness of risk control, information technology engineers will be actively pursued by employers in 2017. Companies are intensifying efforts to maintain high levels of control and security as cloud computing becomes more widespread and vital to the operations of many companies.

6. Consolidation in the insurance sector: We expect to see further consolidations in the insurance sector during 2017. As insurers seek to expand their footprint across Southeast Asia, buoyant demand for insurance professionals across all segments will increase. Following consolidations, some insurers are becoming more powerful and dominant in the region and this will create a number of new roles with rapid expansion throughout the year a key focus for many.

7. Pressure to retain talent: Some companies will find it increasingly difficult to retain digitally-minded talent. With digital such a hot area, candidates want to work for companies that place digital transformation at the heart of their business and understand the importance of its integration across all business units. They may be disheartened by companies with poor infrastructure or outdated technology, making it difficult for them to develop their digital skills.

8. Cutting costs to drive growth: As a result of a slowing economy, third-party logistics firms will look to attract candidates who have demonstrated experience of improving efficiency across supply chain and logistic flows. It's hoped such actions will help stimulate the economy by the end of the year.

9. Longer hiring processes: Companies employing senior candidates will undertake more rigorous and lengthy recruitment processes in 2017. This is largely due to many companies becoming more cautious when it comes to hiring-related costs. Companies will want to get it right the first time, and be willing to take longer to assess the skills of candidates to ensure they hire the right cultural fit for their organisation.

10. Gender diversity: Gender diversity will continue to be a focus for many companies in 2017. Companies are specifically requesting shortlists to include an even number of females and males. This follows on from a request by a number of banks in 2016 that one in three CVs they receive must be female.