Online hiring slips 1% in April

Government, PSU and Defence sector had the steepest decline at 6%.

Online hiring in Singapore has slipped once again in April, down 1% according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI).

The MEI is a gauge of online job posting activities compiled monthly by Monster.com. It records the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity locally.

The IT, Telecom/ISP and BPO/ITES sectors remained in the lead with 15% year-on-year growth in April, registering double-digit growth for the seventh consecutive month and a 2% improvement from the previous month. The Government, PSU and Defence sector saw the steepest decline in hiring activity at -6% year-on-year.

Across occupational groups monitored by the index, Software, Hardware and Telecom jobs saw the strongest demand, with an 18% year-on-year growth in online job postings – an 11% slump from the previous month. Hospitality & Travel roles saw the greatest plunge in online hiring at -10% year-over-year.

Monster.com managing director for APAC and Middle East Sanjay Modi said employment in Singapore has touched an all-time low for Q1 2017 in the last 14 years.

"According to Citi Research, this is the highest job loss (around 8500) since the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003. Decline in job creations and increase in layoffs in the Singaporean labour market can be attributed to the slow economic growth across the region. Moreover, the widened gap between employer’s expectations and availability of skilled talent continues to deteriorate overall hiring,” he added.