Chart of the Day: Online IT and BPO hiring surges 40% in March

The hiring spree came amidst news of a 5G rollout by 2020.

Online hiring for IT, telecom/ISP and BPO/ITES roles in Singapore continued to gain momentum after rising 40% MoM in March, according to a report from Monster. This extends a steep uptrend since the beginning of the year when online recruitment activity grew 21% in January and 22% in February. 

"With a major focus from the Singaporean government on developing the nation’s burgeoning tech sector, coupled with the news that Singaporean telcos will introduce 5G networks by 2020, the strong numbers in recruitment for the IT, Telecom/ISP and BPO/ITES sector indicate that the government’s programmes and investments are indeed helping them reach their workforce goals," Monster said in its report. 

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In comparison, online hiring for the same sector in the Philippines only hit 12% in March despite the country's strong grasp on the BPO sector which count as amongst its top exports. Malaysia similarly witnessed a sustained uptrend in online hiring which hit 60% in March, outpacing Singapore. This extends a similar uptick from 23% in January and 25% in March. 

In Q1, online hiring rose 11% in Q1 with the IT, telecom, ISP and BPO/ITES sectors driving the quarterly gains.