MOM figures show hiring demand up, with services leading the way

Latest figures from the Manpower Ministry showed that hiring is definitely on an upward trend.

Taking the lead was the service industries, with 26,000 openings in the third quarter. That is 30 per cent higher compared to the previous three months.

With the integrated resorts opening next year and new malls popping up on Orchard Road, demand for retail and hospitality staff is high.

As of September, there were 1,200 openings for shop assistants and close to 1,400 vacancies for waiters and cooks.

Dhirendra Shantilal, senior vice president, Asia Pacific, Kelly Services, said: "Because of the festive seasons that we have right now - for Christmas and Chinese New Year - we see a lot of contract work coming on for the retail space. This will adjust itself after Chinese New Year."

The construction industry is also in need of close to 3,000 workers, including 780 labourers.

Construction and retail sales are two areas that normally have difficulty attracting Singaporeans. Recruiters said the impact of the recession has softened the resistance some Singaporeans have against retail jobs. But whether this will hold up as the economy continues to improve remains a big question mark.

Hiring in the financial services sector has also been picking up pace and recruiters are seeing "significant" recovery across sales, risk management and IT positions within the sector.

Roger Olofsson, associate director, Information Technology, Robert Walters, said: "A lot of organisations are getting headcounts approved and gearing up with sentiments and confidence for the new year. And they want to be up to staff levels that they potentially had in place before the crisis happened."

"We're actually seeing Q4 at the moment. It's busier this year than any Q4 we've experienced so far in the last 10, 11 years that we've operated in that market."

And with the government ramping up hiring of teachers and early childhood educators, there are 2,750 openings for teaching professionals. Of these, 2,320 openings require at least a polytechnic diploma.

Openings in the manufacturing sector also point to a steady recovery. As of September, there were 5,600 positions available, up from nearly 3,900 as of June.

- Channel NewsAsia