Q2 rise in job ads here sparked by better hiring scene

HIRING appears to be the theme in the market as Singapore saw a 13.7 per cent rise in job ads in the second quarter compared to the first quarter, according to a survey.

Robert Walters, the global recruitment consultancy, yesterday said that there has been an increase especially in human-resource job ads in Singapore - up 7.8 per cent from the previous quarter - as many companies have started hiring, implementing succession plans and starting new projects as businesses begin to grow again.

The agency noted that advertising numbers have seen a small decline in the finance/accounting and information- technology sectors. This can be explained by the tendency of employers in these sectors to use confidential search and headhunting techniques, rather than advertising.

Also, IT is no longer being viewed as a support function, but as an integral part of business operations. Positions there are thus at senior levels as well, it said.

Ms Andrea Ross, managing director of Robert Walters Singapore, said: "We haven't seen dips anywhere - (the number of job ads in) financial services and commerce is the strongest we have seen since pre-crisis levels." She added that the rise in the consumer-confidence level has affected the consumer-banking business positively.

"We may see a slowdown at the end of the third quarter as this is traditionally a time when candidates in the financial-services sector are less likely to move, as we approach the bonus season."

The job index tracks advertisement volumes for professional positions across the leading job boards and national newspapers in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Japan.

The agency said the general picture across all the territories is one of maintained growth and increased stability.

Ads in Asia increased a remarkable 85.9 per cent in the second quarter over the same period last year and 35.8 per cent over the previous quarter.

Candidates and employers are expressing more positive attitudes and there has been an increase in counter-offers and rehiring.

- mypaper