More than half of temps in Singapore have more than 10 years of experience: survey

Communication skills have become a major requirement.

More companies are hopping into the bandwagon of temporary working, as a Page Personnel survey found out that contracting professionals with specialised skills, higher education and more years of experience are increasingly the norm in Singapore’s workforce today.

According to a report by PageGroup, communication skills have also become a primary requirement from contract employees as 90% of those surveyed are expected to engage with other internal business units.

Additionally, due to increased demands from employers, the survey said 83% of contract employees are now required to be more flexible in adopting a wider job scope .

“Contract employees are granted more autonomy as 79% respondents report having to work without close supervision. Training has grown in importance for this dynamic workforce which is evident in the 46% of employers who have invested in developing the skill base and competency of contracting personnel for commercial success,” the survey noted.

Traditionally, the report said contracting was limited o professions considered labour-intensive and at the junior level.

“As a result of increased demands for project management or specialised interim hiring, contracting opportunities for qualified professionals have grown. This has also resulted in 56% of the current contract workforce qualified with 10 years or more experience,” the report noted.

“This was seen particularly within financial services, finance and accounting, secretarial and office support as well as information technology,” the report added.