News Update: Balance of power swinging back to job seekers

JobsDB.com Singapore shares the latest press release from Hays Singapore

Financial Planners, HR Managers, Geotechnical Design Engineers and Sales Executives are some of the skills in high demand reports Hays, the leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

The April – June 2010 edition of the Hays Quarterly Report reveals the balance of power is swinging back to today’s top candidates.

“Jobseekers today have more choice and the surplus of candidates that employers experienced for much of 2009 has, in most industries, been absorbed back into the workforce,” said Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore.

“In the post-global financial crisis (GFC) workplace, employers now have less choice, and are even taking steps to minimise the impact of future skills shortages. For candidates, particularly top talent, this means they have some power back.”

“Candidates are starting to objectively examine job vacancies in far more detail than they did during the GFC. They are now more focused on their career and will evaluate a vacancy to make sure it will provide the progression they want. They are asking for more information about a job’s responsibilities to work out if it is a step up, or at least a step in the right direction. They want to know if clear career paths are offered. They’re also utilising their networks to see what others say about the company.

“In addition, with the first cases of multiple offers again taking place for top talent, these candidates can potentially leverage an improvement in salary for the first time in well over 18 months. Some employers are starting to enter into such salary negotiations once again for top talent, although this trend will take time to be evident across the board.”

According to the Hays Quarterly Report, the following skills are currently in demand:


Accountancy & Finance: Financial Planners and Analysts as companies are looking to the future, making more strategic investments and implementing more projects.

Banking: With the heightened state of the regulatory and controls environment, Operational Risk Management (ORM) and Compliance professionals with solid relevant experience in the region are in continued demand.

Construction: There has been a surge in Government funding to improve civil infrastructure which is generating a range of jobs with Engineering Consultancies and Construction Contractors, particularly those with local experience.

Finance Technology: Candidates with strong object oriented skill sets (C++/Java based) combined with specific Greek or options based risk-trading experience. There is more demand across the System and Development space in general as the move to online trading systems continues.

Human Resources: Regional HR Managers as large multinational companies establish Regional HR functions in Singapore. Candidates with international experience particularly from Asia Pacific and South East Asia are very much in demand

Information Technology: There is a rise in demand for contract candidates experienced in SAP and development including JAVA, C# and .Net. Infrastructure and sales professionals at all levels are also in high demand.

Pharma: Companies in the region are starting to restructure their commercial teams which is creating opportunities within sales and marketing. This is having a positive effect on Clinical Research Organisations as outsourcing also sees an increase from 2009 figures.

Property: Developers, real estate companies and end users are all seeking Project Managers and Facilities Managers, particularly those who have delivered commercial interior or data centre projects for large corporations in banking or the IT space.

Sales & Marketing: Singapore’s traditionally strong markets of IT&T and Financial Services are leading the charge for talent. Sales Executives with relevant industry knowledge and a good base of contacts are currently at the top of the recruitment list.

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