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
Jul 30, 2010
26,500 new jobs in Q2
THE Singapore economy added 26,500 jobs in the second quarter, bringing total employment to 3,053,000, a Manpower Ministry report said on Friday.
That was fewer than the 36,500 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2010.
Services contributed to the bulk of the increase in employment, while manufacturing employment fell by 2,400 after increasing by 3,100 in the previous quarter.
Redundancies fell across manufacturing, construction and services sectors. Preliminary estimates put the number of workers retrenched or had contracts terminated prematurely in the second quarter at 1,900, lower than 2,400 in the previous quarter.
Unemployment has stabilised after falling sharply at the end of last year. The seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate stood at 2.3 per cent, an improvement from 3.2 per cent a year ago.
The resident unemployment rate was 3.3 per cent, compared to 4.5 per cent a year ago.
- The Straits Times
That was fewer than the 36,500 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2010.
Services contributed to the bulk of the increase in employment, while manufacturing employment fell by 2,400 after increasing by 3,100 in the previous quarter.
Redundancies fell across manufacturing, construction and services sectors. Preliminary estimates put the number of workers retrenched or had contracts terminated prematurely in the second quarter at 1,900, lower than 2,400 in the previous quarter.
Unemployment has stabilised after falling sharply at the end of last year. The seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate stood at 2.3 per cent, an improvement from 3.2 per cent a year ago.
The resident unemployment rate was 3.3 per cent, compared to 4.5 per cent a year ago.
- The Straits Times
Jul 29, 2010
Having more foreign workers must not dilute productivity efforts: Lim Swee Say
Labour chief Lim Swee Say has said that any additional intake of foreign manpower should not dilute Singapore’s efforts in productivity improvement.
He was speaking at a conference of employers and trade union leaders organised by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) on Wednesday.
The conference discussed the recent news that Singapore would likely need some 100,000 foreign workers to meet the demands of various industries.
Mr Lim urged employers not to have pre—conceived ideas that unionists are against foreign workers.
He said: "The labour movement adopts a fairly pragmatic approach. If the growth opportunities are there and there is a shortage of workers, then obviously the foreign workers do come in as additional source of manpower.... (They) served as a buffer during the downturn in 2009."
Mr Lim went on to say: "What we are concerned about is that this additional intake of foreign manpower should not dilute our efforts in productivity improvement.
"If we keep taking in foreign manpower, which are unskilled and low—wage and bring them in big numbers, if we end up discouraging enterprises from upgrading their workforce, I think that would be not welcomed by the labour movement.
"What we would like to see is this movement towards higher productivity should apply both to the local and foreign workforce.
"Yes, we want the local workers to become better skilled, more productive. At the same time we must place the same expectation and demand on the foreign workers as well.
"So, as we take in foreign workers, let’s bring in those who are more employable, more trainable.
"Together these foreign and local workers can go through the process of productivity improvement.....so that over the next 10 years we can achieve our target of 2—3 percent growth."
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was also at the conference, said: "Exactly how many (foreign workers) will come will depend on the growth of the second half. At the same time it is important for companies to think about how we can do things in a different way so that we can rely on fewer manpower to achieve the same output.
"We hope companies will take this in their stride and see how we can introduce productivity measures so that we can reduce our dependence on low skilled manpower so that we can produce the same or more with fewer resources needed.
"As the economy picks up, companies focus on fulfilling orders immediately. While there is flexibility in the labour market to allow you to do so, at the same time let’s not lose sight of the long term strategic move of raising productivity. Only then can we sustain wage improvements."
— Channel News Asia
He was speaking at a conference of employers and trade union leaders organised by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) on Wednesday.
The conference discussed the recent news that Singapore would likely need some 100,000 foreign workers to meet the demands of various industries.
Mr Lim urged employers not to have pre—conceived ideas that unionists are against foreign workers.
He said: "The labour movement adopts a fairly pragmatic approach. If the growth opportunities are there and there is a shortage of workers, then obviously the foreign workers do come in as additional source of manpower.... (They) served as a buffer during the downturn in 2009."
Mr Lim went on to say: "What we are concerned about is that this additional intake of foreign manpower should not dilute our efforts in productivity improvement.
"If we keep taking in foreign manpower, which are unskilled and low—wage and bring them in big numbers, if we end up discouraging enterprises from upgrading their workforce, I think that would be not welcomed by the labour movement.
"What we would like to see is this movement towards higher productivity should apply both to the local and foreign workforce.
"Yes, we want the local workers to become better skilled, more productive. At the same time we must place the same expectation and demand on the foreign workers as well.
"So, as we take in foreign workers, let’s bring in those who are more employable, more trainable.
"Together these foreign and local workers can go through the process of productivity improvement.....so that over the next 10 years we can achieve our target of 2—3 percent growth."
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, who was also at the conference, said: "Exactly how many (foreign workers) will come will depend on the growth of the second half. At the same time it is important for companies to think about how we can do things in a different way so that we can rely on fewer manpower to achieve the same output.
"We hope companies will take this in their stride and see how we can introduce productivity measures so that we can reduce our dependence on low skilled manpower so that we can produce the same or more with fewer resources needed.
"As the economy picks up, companies focus on fulfilling orders immediately. While there is flexibility in the labour market to allow you to do so, at the same time let’s not lose sight of the long term strategic move of raising productivity. Only then can we sustain wage improvements."
— Channel News Asia
Thousands of housing agents get the axe
Real estate firms have axed thousands of housing agents ahead of enhanced regulations aimed at improving the professionalism of the industry.
Under a new regulatory framework to be implemented by the Ministry of National Development (MND), a statutory board known as the Council for Estate Agencies will be set up. MediaCorp understands that a Bill could be introduced in Parliament as early as October.
When contacted, MND would only say that a Bill will be introduced later this year, with the council operational by the end of the year. Under the new framework, all agents must register with the council before they are allowed to practice. In the meantime, MND had asked estate agencies to submit their agents' particulars and qualifications.
Some firms have taken the opportunity to do some housekeeping. Dennis Wee Group (DWG) updated the particulars of all its 5,000 agents earlier this month. They were also briefed on the new requirements.
DWG director Chris Koh said as a result of the exercise, some 1,500 agents were axed. They were mostly inactive or part-time agents.
"With the new central registry, where a member of public can turn to the registry and see if you are an agent, it's going to be difficult for those with a full-time job to moonlight as an agent."
Under the new guidelines, agents will also be required to pass a mandatory industry exam.
Only those with an industry certification will be exempted.
Rather than wait, DWG has asked all its agents to equip themselves - either with the Certified Estate Agent Course or the Common Examination for Salespersons.
Another real estate agency, PropNex, has also taken action.
Its CEO, Mohamed Ismail, said some 1,200 agents were terminated, either because they're inactive or unwilling to take up personal indemnity insurance. The insurance covers any financial liabilities arising from housing transactions.
Agents who are associated with moneylending have also been let go. "We have made it a policy that any PropNex agent, who has a moneylending licence, will not be allowed to practice because we do see a conflict of interest."
ERA, which has about 3,000 active agents, says it removes about 100 inactive agents from its database every month. Associate director of ERA Asia-Pacific, Mr Eugene Lim, said the company has also been training its agents for the Common Examination for Salespersons. To date, more than 2,500 ERA agents have taken the exam.
HSR, which represents about 7,000 agents, says it regularly checks its database for inactive agents, who are then put on a passive list and sent reminders to go for retraining.
There are an estimated 30,000 housing agents in Singapore.
- TODAY newspaper
Under a new regulatory framework to be implemented by the Ministry of National Development (MND), a statutory board known as the Council for Estate Agencies will be set up. MediaCorp understands that a Bill could be introduced in Parliament as early as October.
When contacted, MND would only say that a Bill will be introduced later this year, with the council operational by the end of the year. Under the new framework, all agents must register with the council before they are allowed to practice. In the meantime, MND had asked estate agencies to submit their agents' particulars and qualifications.
Some firms have taken the opportunity to do some housekeeping. Dennis Wee Group (DWG) updated the particulars of all its 5,000 agents earlier this month. They were also briefed on the new requirements.
DWG director Chris Koh said as a result of the exercise, some 1,500 agents were axed. They were mostly inactive or part-time agents.
"With the new central registry, where a member of public can turn to the registry and see if you are an agent, it's going to be difficult for those with a full-time job to moonlight as an agent."
Under the new guidelines, agents will also be required to pass a mandatory industry exam.
Only those with an industry certification will be exempted.
Rather than wait, DWG has asked all its agents to equip themselves - either with the Certified Estate Agent Course or the Common Examination for Salespersons.
Another real estate agency, PropNex, has also taken action.
Its CEO, Mohamed Ismail, said some 1,200 agents were terminated, either because they're inactive or unwilling to take up personal indemnity insurance. The insurance covers any financial liabilities arising from housing transactions.
Agents who are associated with moneylending have also been let go. "We have made it a policy that any PropNex agent, who has a moneylending licence, will not be allowed to practice because we do see a conflict of interest."
ERA, which has about 3,000 active agents, says it removes about 100 inactive agents from its database every month. Associate director of ERA Asia-Pacific, Mr Eugene Lim, said the company has also been training its agents for the Common Examination for Salespersons. To date, more than 2,500 ERA agents have taken the exam.
HSR, which represents about 7,000 agents, says it regularly checks its database for inactive agents, who are then put on a passive list and sent reminders to go for retraining.
There are an estimated 30,000 housing agents in Singapore.
- TODAY newspaper
Jul 27, 2010
Bumper jobs for NTU's graduating class
A SURVEY by the Nanyang Technological University has found that 71.7 per cent of its graduating class of 2010 had secured jobs prior to their convocation, up from 67.1 per cent for the Class of 2009 during the same period last year.
NTU president Su Guaning, speaking yesterday morning at the university's Convocation Ceremony 1, added that the strong showing by this year's graduating students sets the stage for them to better the already-impressive 97.3 per cent of the Class of 2009 who received one or more job offers within four months of graduation last year.
- mypaper
NTU president Su Guaning, speaking yesterday morning at the university's Convocation Ceremony 1, added that the strong showing by this year's graduating students sets the stage for them to better the already-impressive 97.3 per cent of the Class of 2009 who received one or more job offers within four months of graduation last year.
- mypaper
Jul 22, 2010
Worker influx is good
THE influx of more than 100,000 foreign workers this year shows the strength of job creation in Singapore and is not cause for concern, labour chief Lim Swee Say said on Wednesday.
Local workers should not fear, for the labour movement will still focus on upgrading their skills, he added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on July 14 that more than 100,000 extra foreigners are set to enter the workforce this year.
Commenting on this, Mr Lim said: 'It's a good sign, because it shows that at a time when many countries are having a shortage of jobs, we are having a shortage of workers.'
Speaking to reporters at the launch of a training scheme for the cleaning industry, Mr Lim added that the focus should not be on the number of foreign workers, but on their quality.
The 100,000 new workers will differ from the thousands who have entered over the past three to five years: they will be higher-skilled and more productive.
- The Straits Times
Local workers should not fear, for the labour movement will still focus on upgrading their skills, he added.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on July 14 that more than 100,000 extra foreigners are set to enter the workforce this year.
Commenting on this, Mr Lim said: 'It's a good sign, because it shows that at a time when many countries are having a shortage of jobs, we are having a shortage of workers.'
Speaking to reporters at the launch of a training scheme for the cleaning industry, Mr Lim added that the focus should not be on the number of foreign workers, but on their quality.
The 100,000 new workers will differ from the thousands who have entered over the past three to five years: they will be higher-skilled and more productive.
- The Straits Times
Headhunters go to geomancers
COMPANIES in Singapore are turning to feng shui masters to help conduct interviews of candidates applying for senior management and financial officers posts, reported Sin Chew Daily.
Singapore Feng Shui Master Xu Yi Ting said this was because the two positions are crucial to a company and because the company could be in trouble if someone greedy was hired.
The daily quoted Ms Xu as saying that some corporations also requested feng shui masters to observe their working partners to see if they were sincere and could be trusted.
'Bosses have requested me to accompany them to dinners so I could observe their partners,' she said.
The daily reported that a woman who applied for a secretary's post was rejected because a feng shui master hired by the employer said she had a 'peach blossom face'.
A folklore expert, identified only as Mr Dong, said a woman who has moist eyes, fine crow's feet and upward-slanting lips would be good at interpersonal relationships, but she could have affairs with male colleagues or her employer. Such applicants were normally rejected, he said.
- The Straits Times
Singapore Feng Shui Master Xu Yi Ting said this was because the two positions are crucial to a company and because the company could be in trouble if someone greedy was hired.
The daily quoted Ms Xu as saying that some corporations also requested feng shui masters to observe their working partners to see if they were sincere and could be trusted.
'Bosses have requested me to accompany them to dinners so I could observe their partners,' she said.
The daily reported that a woman who applied for a secretary's post was rejected because a feng shui master hired by the employer said she had a 'peach blossom face'.
A folklore expert, identified only as Mr Dong, said a woman who has moist eyes, fine crow's feet and upward-slanting lips would be good at interpersonal relationships, but she could have affairs with male colleagues or her employer. Such applicants were normally rejected, he said.
- The Straits Times
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