46% of bosses are on hiring spree from January to June

Check out which positions will be in demand.

Employers across Singapore’s professional sectors remain reasonably confident about domestic business conditions and many plan to increase their staff numbers during the first six months of the year, according to findings in the H1 2013 Michael Page Singapore Employment Index.

46% of employers surveyed report they expect to increase headcount in their business during the first six months of the year.

More than half of the employers (58%) responding to the Employment Index survey, which takes a predictive six month view and focuses on anticipated trends, reveal they expect business conditions to either be stable or improve during this timeframe.

Of those employers increasing headcount, just over half (53%) indicate they are likely to boost staff numbers by up to 5% while a further 33% will look at making a more significant increase of between 5% and 10% .

The greatest focus will be on hiring for operational roles such as procurement, supply chain and engineering positions, according to 47% of employers, while a further 40% will look for professionals with expertise in revenue generation roles.

“With Singapore’s continued growth as a hub for organisations’ Asia operations, employers across a range of sectors are focused on building up their teams,” says Mr. Andrew Norton, Regional Managing Director of PageGroup in South East Asia.

“In particular, professionals in procurement and supply chain will be increasingly required as organisations focus on improving business efficiency and as company headquarters set up logistics centres locally,” he adds.

The attraction and retention of talented professionals remains a focus for employers in Singapore as they focus on acquiring and keeping the skills required to progress their business.

Based on the survey findings, 47% of employers will offer competitive salaries to attract top talent while 46% will base their retention strategy around performance based rewards.

“While financial reward and remuneration remain key for attraction and retention strategies, training and career development opportunities also continue to be a focus for employers during the first half of the year, according to the survey responses,” says Mr. Norton.

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