More jobs forecast for second quarter

But government looks set to have the most “robust hiring plans".

According to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results released by Manpower Singapore, employer optimism rebounds slightly following last quarter’s 15 percentage point decline from Quarter 4 2011. Employers expect the hiring pace to remain bright throughout the next three months and once seasonal variations are removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook stands at a respectable +20%.

Of the 624 employers interviewed across seven industry sectors in Singapore, 22 percent expect to increase staff, 2 percent anticipate a decrease in payrolls, and 69 percent foresee making no changes to their workforce. Quarter-over-quarter, hiring prospects strengthen slightly by 4 percentage points, but year-over-year the Outlook declines by 10 percentage points.

Based on the first-quarter Outlook, it was clear that employers were exercising caution and taking a wait-andsee approach before committing to further workforce additions. We’re seeing some incremental improvement in employer confidence in the second quarter. However, the second-quarter Outlook is still weaker than at any point in 2010 and 2011 and indicates employers have a ways to go before their confidence is fully restored.

As they have for the previous three consecutive quarters, employers in the Public Administration & Education sector report the most optimistic hiring plans; the Outlook of +34% improves considerably year-over-year and is relatively stable when compared to the first quarter of 2012. Mining & Construction sector employers forecast a strong hiring pace with an Outlook of +24%.

Positive hiring plans are also reported by Finance, Insurance & Real Estate sector employers with an Outlook of +20%. Elsewhere, employers in the Transportation & Utilities and the Manufacturing sectors report upbeat Outlooks of +19% and +16%, respectively.