Frugal bosses snub local job hunters as bonus time draws near

But financial services professionals are extremely upbeat.

Local employer sentiment took a seasonal dip in Q4, with hiring intentions slipping 22.2 points as firms move to conserve operating expenses and preserve their bonus pools.

According to Astbury Marsden’s Candidate Optimism Index, the dip in employer hiring intentions is entirely in line with the seasonal hiring cycle as institutions finalise budgets. 

Meanwhile, the local financial services jobs market continued to show healthy levels of hiring activity in Q3 with 44% of institutions reporting an increase in headcount levels.

This was in line with accelerated growth in the finance and insurance sectors which, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, accelerated to 11.6% from 4.6% in the previous quarter on a seasonally adjusted annualised basis.