THE health-care sector is going on a year-end recruitment drive to fill 1,500 positions at two new hospitals by March next year.
Wanted: people from doctors to nurses and occupational therapists.
Some 600 of the jobs are available at the 550-bed Khoo Teck Puat Hospital which opens in Yishun in March next year.
The core team for the new hospital will come from Alexandra Hospital (AH).
Ms Fatimah Moideen Kutty, AH's deputy director of human resource, said part of its recruitment strategy has been to target residents in the north.
In the last two years, it managed to hire about 300 people in Yishun.
- The Straits Times
Oct 31, 2009
New jobs reverse decline
SINGAPORE'S job market is showing signs of a turnaround on the back of an economy that registered a growth spurt in recent months, employment figures released on Friday confirmed.
Total employment rose faster than expected, according to the Manpower Ministry's preliminary estimates of the jobs situation for July to September.
The 15,400 jobs added between July and September this year actually reverses the 13,900 jobs lost up till June this year.
Pointing to this, Dr Chua Hak Bin, head of Singapore research at Citi, said: 'The jobs recession is over. Losses were far lower compared to past recessions.'
But the ministry pointed to a slight rise in unemployment: Overall unemployment rose to 3.4 per cent from 3.3 per cent in the previous quarter.
Among residents, it was 5 per cent - still below the 6.2 per cent peak six years ago. This means 100,300 citizens and permanent residents were jobless. The previous high was 109,100 in September 2003.
- The Straits Times
Total employment rose faster than expected, according to the Manpower Ministry's preliminary estimates of the jobs situation for July to September.
The 15,400 jobs added between July and September this year actually reverses the 13,900 jobs lost up till June this year.
Pointing to this, Dr Chua Hak Bin, head of Singapore research at Citi, said: 'The jobs recession is over. Losses were far lower compared to past recessions.'
But the ministry pointed to a slight rise in unemployment: Overall unemployment rose to 3.4 per cent from 3.3 per cent in the previous quarter.
Among residents, it was 5 per cent - still below the 6.2 per cent peak six years ago. This means 100,300 citizens and permanent residents were jobless. The previous high was 109,100 in September 2003.
- The Straits Times
Resident unemployment rises to 5%, but not a concern, say analysts
Not only did total employment grow for the first time this year, the 15,400 jobs created - the bulk of them in services - between July and September more than made up for the losses in the first half of the year.
On the redundancy front there was better news too, with the 2,200 workers laid off or released early the lowest number in five quarters.
But, amid the mostly uplifting third-quarter labour figures released on Friday, one statistic cast a pall: Resident unemployment, which rose to 5 per cent from 4.6 per cent, seasonally adjusted.
Not since the Sars outbreak in 2003 saw the figure hit 6.2 per cent has it been so high. In all, 100,300 citizens and permanent residents were estimated to be out of work - a figure analysts attributed to the re-entry of people seeking jobs after completing skills training, or those undergoing training who may have been classified unemployed.
Overall unemployment was 3.4 per cent, up 0.1 per cent from June, according to the Manpower Ministry's preliminary figures.
Structural unemployment could be one factor behind this, said National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
But the mismatch of skills, or between training and jobs available, is becoming less of a problem, she believes.
"This issue about people being trained and people not being able to find a job - the process has been refined and there's a lot more linkage between jobs and training," she said, citing schemes to place job-seekers with an employer before training begins.
Higher Q3 figures could also be due to those deliberately leaving their jobs to reconsider longer-term career options, said Mr Tim Hird, managing director of Robert Half Singapore. "Typically, employment rate will lag behind economy recovery for six to nine months before stabilising and picking up."
But experts are already calling for employers to pay closer attention to staff retention and rewards.
In Q3, 13,400 more service staff were employed - a reflection it would seem of prospects ahead, with the central bank on Thursday forecasting that job creation next year in the sector would be supported by the strong push into palliative care and growth in financial services, especially.
Among financial insitutions, demand exists for risk control and management personnel, as well as in business development and sales, said Mr Hird.
Staffing firm Adecco Personnel has seen an "increasing demand" for project managers, and in larger organisations, for business analysts with expertise in corporate planning and budgeting, said branch manager Edlyn Wee.
Childcare, healthcare and security are the other sectors of growth, said Mdm Halimah. The 200 new childcare centres set to open by 2013 will result in a "big scramble" for teachers.
Likewise for healthcare with new hospitals coming up, she added; and, in the current environment of increased vigilance, security employment should also get a boost.
The year ahead for construction may not be as rosy. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, construction is unlikely to be a key source of job growth in future as major projects such as the integrated resorts near completion.
But the Q3 growth in construction employment is not unusual, as it is an industry that responds with greater time lag, noted Mdm Halimah.
Manufacturing, meanwhile, continued to shed jobs for a fourth straight quarter but at a slower pace, and improved business sentiment particularly in the electronics sector - going by the latest Economic Development Board survey - could be a sign of things to come.
With the upturn and workers beginning to look out for better opportunities, employers are advised to look beyond just filling their ranks to meet demand.
Adecco's Ms Wee said workers have been flexible about contract and temporary positions over the past few quarters, and employers could take them on as full-time staff.
Added Mdm Halimah: "If companies are doing well, they should consider paying workers bonuses for the sacrifices they have made in helping companies to cut costs and remain viable."
- TODAY newspaper
On the redundancy front there was better news too, with the 2,200 workers laid off or released early the lowest number in five quarters.
But, amid the mostly uplifting third-quarter labour figures released on Friday, one statistic cast a pall: Resident unemployment, which rose to 5 per cent from 4.6 per cent, seasonally adjusted.
Not since the Sars outbreak in 2003 saw the figure hit 6.2 per cent has it been so high. In all, 100,300 citizens and permanent residents were estimated to be out of work - a figure analysts attributed to the re-entry of people seeking jobs after completing skills training, or those undergoing training who may have been classified unemployed.
Overall unemployment was 3.4 per cent, up 0.1 per cent from June, according to the Manpower Ministry's preliminary figures.
Structural unemployment could be one factor behind this, said National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
But the mismatch of skills, or between training and jobs available, is becoming less of a problem, she believes.
"This issue about people being trained and people not being able to find a job - the process has been refined and there's a lot more linkage between jobs and training," she said, citing schemes to place job-seekers with an employer before training begins.
Higher Q3 figures could also be due to those deliberately leaving their jobs to reconsider longer-term career options, said Mr Tim Hird, managing director of Robert Half Singapore. "Typically, employment rate will lag behind economy recovery for six to nine months before stabilising and picking up."
But experts are already calling for employers to pay closer attention to staff retention and rewards.
In Q3, 13,400 more service staff were employed - a reflection it would seem of prospects ahead, with the central bank on Thursday forecasting that job creation next year in the sector would be supported by the strong push into palliative care and growth in financial services, especially.
Among financial insitutions, demand exists for risk control and management personnel, as well as in business development and sales, said Mr Hird.
Staffing firm Adecco Personnel has seen an "increasing demand" for project managers, and in larger organisations, for business analysts with expertise in corporate planning and budgeting, said branch manager Edlyn Wee.
Childcare, healthcare and security are the other sectors of growth, said Mdm Halimah. The 200 new childcare centres set to open by 2013 will result in a "big scramble" for teachers.
Likewise for healthcare with new hospitals coming up, she added; and, in the current environment of increased vigilance, security employment should also get a boost.
The year ahead for construction may not be as rosy. According to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, construction is unlikely to be a key source of job growth in future as major projects such as the integrated resorts near completion.
But the Q3 growth in construction employment is not unusual, as it is an industry that responds with greater time lag, noted Mdm Halimah.
Manufacturing, meanwhile, continued to shed jobs for a fourth straight quarter but at a slower pace, and improved business sentiment particularly in the electronics sector - going by the latest Economic Development Board survey - could be a sign of things to come.
With the upturn and workers beginning to look out for better opportunities, employers are advised to look beyond just filling their ranks to meet demand.
Adecco's Ms Wee said workers have been flexible about contract and temporary positions over the past few quarters, and employers could take them on as full-time staff.
Added Mdm Halimah: "If companies are doing well, they should consider paying workers bonuses for the sacrifices they have made in helping companies to cut costs and remain viable."
- TODAY newspaper
Oct 29, 2009
Singapore's total employment up in Q3 2009
Total employment is estimated to have grown by 15,400 in the third quarter, reflecting Singapore's recovering economy.
This ends losses seen in the first (-6,200) and second (-7,700) quarter of the year. However, the gains are still significantly lower than the 55,700 seen in the third quarter of 2008.
Apart from manufacturing, the major sectors showed growth, according to figures released by the Ministry of Manpower.
Services employment rose by 13,400 in the third quarter, significantly higher than the gains of 7,500 in the first and 3,800 in the second quarter this year, but lower than 34,300 in the third quarter last year.
Construction continued to add workers (8,100), higher than the increase in the preceding quarter (4,700) and comparable to the first quarter of 2009 (8,300).
Manufacturing shed workers for the fourth consecutive quarter, but the decline (-6,600) was substantially lower than in the first two quarters this year.
Figures for retrenchment and redundancy also improved, with an estimated 2,000 workers retrenched and 200 workers whose contracts were terminated prematurely.
This is significantly lower than the 5,980 workers made redundant in the second quarter of 2009, comprising 5,170 workers retrenched and 810 workers whose contracts were terminated prematurely.
Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4% in September 2009 from 3.3% in June 2009, while on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the overall unemployment rate decreased from 4.1% in June 2009 to 2.9% in September 2009
This ends losses seen in the first (-6,200) and second (-7,700) quarter of the year. However, the gains are still significantly lower than the 55,700 seen in the third quarter of 2008.
Apart from manufacturing, the major sectors showed growth, according to figures released by the Ministry of Manpower.
Services employment rose by 13,400 in the third quarter, significantly higher than the gains of 7,500 in the first and 3,800 in the second quarter this year, but lower than 34,300 in the third quarter last year.
Construction continued to add workers (8,100), higher than the increase in the preceding quarter (4,700) and comparable to the first quarter of 2009 (8,300).
Manufacturing shed workers for the fourth consecutive quarter, but the decline (-6,600) was substantially lower than in the first two quarters this year.
Figures for retrenchment and redundancy also improved, with an estimated 2,000 workers retrenched and 200 workers whose contracts were terminated prematurely.
This is significantly lower than the 5,980 workers made redundant in the second quarter of 2009, comprising 5,170 workers retrenched and 810 workers whose contracts were terminated prematurely.
Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4% in September 2009 from 3.3% in June 2009, while on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the overall unemployment rate decreased from 4.1% in June 2009 to 2.9% in September 2009
Oct 28, 2009
Lay-off shock at HP, second time this year
The economy may be slowly emerging from the dumps, but retrenchments are happening even now as companies continue to restructure.
On Monday, American computer giant Hewlett-Packard was the latest to issue the pink slips - among the retrenched were at least one director and several senior engineers - paying out a month's salary for every year of service, to a maximum of 12 months' salary.
The retrenchments at HP's Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) unit, which work on printer designs, are part of the company's plan to streamline its operations to target high growth opportunities, said a company spokeswoman in Singapore.
She declined to say how many people were laid off, but added that HP would try to redeploy affected staff. Those who cannot be relocated will have to go.
"As part of the IPG operations unit transformation, the company announced plans in August to re-align the organisation in an effort to optimise and improve its supply chain," she said in an email reply to MediaCorp.
"As part of this realignment, some investments and resources will be shifted to help fuel high-growth areas for IPG's business. In other areas, it has resulted in a reduction of resources, including workforce reduction."
The decision to retrench was "made at a global level and is not specific to any one HP site", she said.
In May, HP laid off workers in the same department, citing similar reasons.
Some staff, apart from being surprised at the timing of the latest lay-offs, are wondering why HP did not convey in writing its decision on the retrenchment exercise, instead of relaying the news verbally in a low key fashion.
One retrenched employee told MediaCorp he was disappointed about the situation. He had worked for over five years at the company, and said he personally knew 20 of the others who were retrenched.
"There were many more who were laid off," he said. "At the end of the day, retrenchment is all about cost reduction."
Responding, the HP spokeswoman said employees were told in advance of the exercise, "in accordance with local industry practice and Ministry of Manpower guidelines".
Another employee, who worked at the company for almost 15 years, is taking the retrenchment in stride.
"Life doesn't end here," said the man, who is in his 40s. "It's a one-year (severance) package. I can still look around for a job."
The timing of the retrenchment did not surprise National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob, especially when the reasons were pegged to restructuring.
"This has also happened when there is no recession," said Mdm Halimah. "When they do their global or local review on operations, they always look at costs and competitiveness and how best they can do their productions."
According to her, a manufacturing firm laid off 300 of its staff - or 20 per cent of its workforce - last month after it relocated its printed circuit board department to a regional country, as part of restructuring.
- TODAY newspaper
On Monday, American computer giant Hewlett-Packard was the latest to issue the pink slips - among the retrenched were at least one director and several senior engineers - paying out a month's salary for every year of service, to a maximum of 12 months' salary.
The retrenchments at HP's Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) unit, which work on printer designs, are part of the company's plan to streamline its operations to target high growth opportunities, said a company spokeswoman in Singapore.
She declined to say how many people were laid off, but added that HP would try to redeploy affected staff. Those who cannot be relocated will have to go.
"As part of the IPG operations unit transformation, the company announced plans in August to re-align the organisation in an effort to optimise and improve its supply chain," she said in an email reply to MediaCorp.
"As part of this realignment, some investments and resources will be shifted to help fuel high-growth areas for IPG's business. In other areas, it has resulted in a reduction of resources, including workforce reduction."
The decision to retrench was "made at a global level and is not specific to any one HP site", she said.
In May, HP laid off workers in the same department, citing similar reasons.
Some staff, apart from being surprised at the timing of the latest lay-offs, are wondering why HP did not convey in writing its decision on the retrenchment exercise, instead of relaying the news verbally in a low key fashion.
One retrenched employee told MediaCorp he was disappointed about the situation. He had worked for over five years at the company, and said he personally knew 20 of the others who were retrenched.
"There were many more who were laid off," he said. "At the end of the day, retrenchment is all about cost reduction."
Responding, the HP spokeswoman said employees were told in advance of the exercise, "in accordance with local industry practice and Ministry of Manpower guidelines".
Another employee, who worked at the company for almost 15 years, is taking the retrenchment in stride.
"Life doesn't end here," said the man, who is in his 40s. "It's a one-year (severance) package. I can still look around for a job."
The timing of the retrenchment did not surprise National Trades Union Congress deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob, especially when the reasons were pegged to restructuring.
"This has also happened when there is no recession," said Mdm Halimah. "When they do their global or local review on operations, they always look at costs and competitiveness and how best they can do their productions."
According to her, a manufacturing firm laid off 300 of its staff - or 20 per cent of its workforce - last month after it relocated its printed circuit board department to a regional country, as part of restructuring.
- TODAY newspaper
Oct 26, 2009
Dirty tricks employed during the recession
The worst of the recession may be over, but technician Ellence Chua is still smarting over the treatment by his former employer of 12 years.
He was offered a week's retrenchment benefits for each year of service, below the norm of a month.
He was also told to sign a letter not to get representation from his union - which could have negotiated better terms.
'They said if I sign the letter, I get the cheque,' said Mr Chua, 56, who refused to do so, even though three colleagues did.
'We should get more in benefits. We've been loyal to the company for many years,' said the man who eventually depended on the union to negotiate better terms.
The construction firm's actions were among the bad practices encountered by unionists as the economy slid into recession in the second quarter of last year. Other bosses have docked wages without taking the lead themselves, or sacked staff to avoid paying retrenchment benefits, said the director of industrial relations at the National Trades Union Congress, Ms Cham Hui Fong.
Her department has been handling more cases related to company restructuring - 122 in the first half of this year, up from 24 in the same period last year.
In companies whose workers are not represented by unions, some did not give any retrenchment payout while others cut wages and benefits without consulting the staff, said NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
While unionists say nasty bosses are a minority, they represent only those cases where the affected workers have sought help from the unions, NTUC or the Manpower Ministry.
The Sunday Times talks to unionists about some of the dirty tricks among bosses:
1 The stop-union boss
When construction firm Sembawang Engineers and Constructors laid off workers like Mr Chua in July last year, it astonished unionists by trying to keep them out of negotiations.
The Indian-owned builder of Singapore's MRT and LRT stations asked the workers to sign a letter that said: 'I understand that the union is negotiating with the company on this matter.
'Though I am a union member, I am rejecting union's representation. Therefore, I will not accept and will reject any other settlement that may be reached between the company and the union.'
Those who signed it received their retrenchment benefits first. Those who refused were left in limbo until the union and the Manpower Ministry settled the case.
Sembawang's treatment of its workers surfaced at a hearing before the Industrial Arbitration Court on Oct 16, after the company broke off talks on a collective agreement with the Building Construction & Timber Industries Employees' Union.
Its actions prompted Madam Halimah to tell the court: 'This is a serious interference in the affairs of a trade union and a clear instigation of the workers to reject the union.
'It was a clear attempt to undermine our efforts to get a fair deal for the workers.'
After the union and the ministry weighed in, the company raised the retrenchment benefits from one week to two, for each year of service. Mr Chua took home $14,000 and found a similar job in an airline company, earning the same pay.
2 The short-notice, hush-hush boss
DBS Bank's sudden decision last November to cut 900 jobs without consulting its union or considering alternatives led labour chief Lim Swee Say to voice his disappointment publicly that it had retrenched staff as the first resort.
A plastics company tried to 'follow DBS' style' earlier this year, said the president of the Chemical Industries Employees' Union, Mr G. Rajendran. Without informing the union, it gave more than 50 workers a day's notice that they would be laid off.
It gave only one week's retrenchment benefits for each year of service.
Workers called in the union, which got the company to increase the benefits to more than two weeks for each year of service, as well as sponsor a few weeks of training for those affected so that they can find new jobs.
3 The disguised retrenchment boss
Some employers dismissed staff for poor performance to avoid paying retrenchment benefits, even though the case against the worker was 'not so clear-cut', said Madam Halimah.
Such decisions should be based on fair and objective performance appraisals, not 'just on arbitrary word-of-mouth allegations of some supervisors', she added.
One electronics firm let go of five executives, citing under-performance, even though they had not been told previously of any shortcoming or been issued warning letters.
As executives are not covered under a collective agreement, the union appealed to the Manpower Ministry to help them retain their jobs - and succeeded.
Madam Halimah warned: 'Such poor treatment creates serious morale problems and, in the long run, is not in the companies' interest.'
Agreeing, the executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation, Mr Koh Juan Kiat, said other employees would be concerned over how they would be treated in the future.
Such actions could also damage the company's reputation among new staff and the public, he added.
4. The you-bear-it-all boss
The principle of equal sacrifice when introducing temporary layoffs and other measures to manage excess manpower is spelt out in guidelines drawn up by the Government, employer groups and unions.
But some bosses did not go 50-50 in salary payments, such as a company in the chemical industry that made its workers go on two days' no-pay leave this year.
The workers complained to NTUC, which asked the company to recognise the union - a move allowing the latter to represent the workers - but it refused.
A secret ballot among the workers was called, with 90 per cent voting to form a union. But it still refused to talk to NTUC.
Said Ms Cham: 'They chased our officers out of the premises, saying they never agreed to have a union.'
The issue is still being thrashed out between both parties.
- The Sunday Times
He was offered a week's retrenchment benefits for each year of service, below the norm of a month.
He was also told to sign a letter not to get representation from his union - which could have negotiated better terms.
'They said if I sign the letter, I get the cheque,' said Mr Chua, 56, who refused to do so, even though three colleagues did.
'We should get more in benefits. We've been loyal to the company for many years,' said the man who eventually depended on the union to negotiate better terms.
The construction firm's actions were among the bad practices encountered by unionists as the economy slid into recession in the second quarter of last year. Other bosses have docked wages without taking the lead themselves, or sacked staff to avoid paying retrenchment benefits, said the director of industrial relations at the National Trades Union Congress, Ms Cham Hui Fong.
Her department has been handling more cases related to company restructuring - 122 in the first half of this year, up from 24 in the same period last year.
In companies whose workers are not represented by unions, some did not give any retrenchment payout while others cut wages and benefits without consulting the staff, said NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
While unionists say nasty bosses are a minority, they represent only those cases where the affected workers have sought help from the unions, NTUC or the Manpower Ministry.
The Sunday Times talks to unionists about some of the dirty tricks among bosses:
1 The stop-union boss
When construction firm Sembawang Engineers and Constructors laid off workers like Mr Chua in July last year, it astonished unionists by trying to keep them out of negotiations.
The Indian-owned builder of Singapore's MRT and LRT stations asked the workers to sign a letter that said: 'I understand that the union is negotiating with the company on this matter.
'Though I am a union member, I am rejecting union's representation. Therefore, I will not accept and will reject any other settlement that may be reached between the company and the union.'
Those who signed it received their retrenchment benefits first. Those who refused were left in limbo until the union and the Manpower Ministry settled the case.
Sembawang's treatment of its workers surfaced at a hearing before the Industrial Arbitration Court on Oct 16, after the company broke off talks on a collective agreement with the Building Construction & Timber Industries Employees' Union.
Its actions prompted Madam Halimah to tell the court: 'This is a serious interference in the affairs of a trade union and a clear instigation of the workers to reject the union.
'It was a clear attempt to undermine our efforts to get a fair deal for the workers.'
After the union and the ministry weighed in, the company raised the retrenchment benefits from one week to two, for each year of service. Mr Chua took home $14,000 and found a similar job in an airline company, earning the same pay.
2 The short-notice, hush-hush boss
DBS Bank's sudden decision last November to cut 900 jobs without consulting its union or considering alternatives led labour chief Lim Swee Say to voice his disappointment publicly that it had retrenched staff as the first resort.
A plastics company tried to 'follow DBS' style' earlier this year, said the president of the Chemical Industries Employees' Union, Mr G. Rajendran. Without informing the union, it gave more than 50 workers a day's notice that they would be laid off.
It gave only one week's retrenchment benefits for each year of service.
Workers called in the union, which got the company to increase the benefits to more than two weeks for each year of service, as well as sponsor a few weeks of training for those affected so that they can find new jobs.
3 The disguised retrenchment boss
Some employers dismissed staff for poor performance to avoid paying retrenchment benefits, even though the case against the worker was 'not so clear-cut', said Madam Halimah.
Such decisions should be based on fair and objective performance appraisals, not 'just on arbitrary word-of-mouth allegations of some supervisors', she added.
One electronics firm let go of five executives, citing under-performance, even though they had not been told previously of any shortcoming or been issued warning letters.
As executives are not covered under a collective agreement, the union appealed to the Manpower Ministry to help them retain their jobs - and succeeded.
Madam Halimah warned: 'Such poor treatment creates serious morale problems and, in the long run, is not in the companies' interest.'
Agreeing, the executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation, Mr Koh Juan Kiat, said other employees would be concerned over how they would be treated in the future.
Such actions could also damage the company's reputation among new staff and the public, he added.
4. The you-bear-it-all boss
The principle of equal sacrifice when introducing temporary layoffs and other measures to manage excess manpower is spelt out in guidelines drawn up by the Government, employer groups and unions.
But some bosses did not go 50-50 in salary payments, such as a company in the chemical industry that made its workers go on two days' no-pay leave this year.
The workers complained to NTUC, which asked the company to recognise the union - a move allowing the latter to represent the workers - but it refused.
A secret ballot among the workers was called, with 90 per cent voting to form a union. But it still refused to talk to NTUC.
Said Ms Cham: 'They chased our officers out of the premises, saying they never agreed to have a union.'
The issue is still being thrashed out between both parties.
- The Sunday Times
Oct 22, 2009
Employers hire again
OPTIMISM continues to inch back into the private sector with more bosses saying they will take on extra staff this quarter, according to a new survey.
The proportion of employers expecting to increase staff numbers before the end of the year has increased from the second quarter - not dramatically, but enough to suggest a trend is forming.
Human resource (HR) consultancy Hudson, which conducts quarterly forecasts on prospects for white-collar workers, polled 600 executives across key business sectors in August.
It found that 34 per cent forecast increased hiring in the fourth quarter. This is up from 26 per cent in the third quarter and marks the second straight quarterly rise in hiring expectations.
A similar poll in May showed that more bosses were willing to hire again, the first increase since the first quarter of 2007.
The new survey also found that the proportion of respondents expecting to lay off staff has fallen in every sector. Overall, just 5per cent of bosses say they will shed staff this quarter, compared with 14 per cent in the third quarter.
- The Straits Times
The proportion of employers expecting to increase staff numbers before the end of the year has increased from the second quarter - not dramatically, but enough to suggest a trend is forming.
Human resource (HR) consultancy Hudson, which conducts quarterly forecasts on prospects for white-collar workers, polled 600 executives across key business sectors in August.
It found that 34 per cent forecast increased hiring in the fourth quarter. This is up from 26 per cent in the third quarter and marks the second straight quarterly rise in hiring expectations.
A similar poll in May showed that more bosses were willing to hire again, the first increase since the first quarter of 2007.
The new survey also found that the proportion of respondents expecting to lay off staff has fallen in every sector. Overall, just 5per cent of bosses say they will shed staff this quarter, compared with 14 per cent in the third quarter.
- The Straits Times
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