Singapore hiring spree: 52% of companies now recruiting senior executives

Defense and FMCG sectors the most aggressive in hiring.

Recruitment levels in Singapore are once again on the up, according to the latest global survey by multi-national recruitment firm Antal International Singapore.

The survey asked almost 17,000 organisations in major markets across 52 countries whether they were currently recruiting or letting staff go at a managerial and professional level and whether they intended to do so over the coming quarter.

The percentage of companies hiring at senior level in Singapore has jumped from 45% to 52% this quarter, and this level of recruitment activity is expected to continue in the coming months.

The security and defence sector is booming with 100% of businesses in the field currently taking on managers and a further 96% looking to do so in the near future. FMCG in the country is also performing well with 70% of companies hiring at senior level.

On the other side of the job market, firing levels remain low at 17%, which is a good sign of growth in the Singaporean market.

“The results of the latest Snapshot indicate greater stability throughout the international staffing sector,” says Antal’s CEO, Tony Goodwin. “Feedback from our clients across the globe suggests that many are under pressure to do more with fewer resources, particularly human ones. Despite a consistent decline in the percentage of companies hiring, a steady fall in the percentage of organisations shedding staff - down from 20% in April to 18% in August and just 16% in December - infers that workforces are stabilising and offering more in the way of long-term security to employees. Listening to reports from our network of offices the feeling seems to be that the sourcing of talent is going through a period of “wait and see”. There is an atmosphere of expectancy, that something, hopefully positive, is about to happen, but in the meantime caution prevails”.