Sectors Where Jobs Are Available In Q2

18 Apr 2013

There is good news for jobseekers. Many sectors are expected to be hiring during this quarter of the year.

That is one of the projections made in the Employment Outlook Report for the months of April to June by PrimeStaff Management Services, a human-resource consultancy based in Singapore.

Hiring sectors include health care, education, oil and gas, food and beverage, hospitality, insurance, real estate, technology (gaming/entertainment/edutain-ment), and the public sector, according to the report.

"These (sectors) are growth sectors. So, there will be a demand for workers," said PrimeStaff managing director Ronald Lee. In terms of job function, hiring will be strongest in these areas: sales, information technology, human resources, and compliance/risk management, for both full-time and contract roles.

There will also be much hiring activity in customer service, by call centre-like companies in particular.

However, it is not all sunshine and roses for three other sectors.

PrimeStaff expects the banking, construction and heavy-manufacturing industries to tread cautiously with regard to recruitment this quarter. There is also the possibility of retrenchment.

"The recent property cooling measures may impact the construction sector and dampen demand for property," said Mr Lee. "As for manufacturing, there might be a drop in consumer demand due to the economic cycle."

Mr Lee also said that both sectors will generally be trying to manage total business cost vis-a-vis lagging demand from consumers.

According to Ms Joyce Goh, a consultant in the engineering division of professional recruitment consultancy Robert Walters Singapore, some international firms in these two sectors have closed down or moved their Singapore offices elsewhere, to manage increasing operations costs here.

She added that such moves had resulted in "staff being let go".

The banking industry could also see retrenchments this quarter, according to the report.

Mr Lee said: "(The projection) applies mostly to foreign banks, which are more greatly impacted by the troubled economic conditions in Europe.

"The retrenchment could also be the result of a restructuring of salaries in a bid to contain costs."

However, there are still pockets of opportunities in the banking industry, he said.

Mr Lee noted that Singapore and regional banks are still hiring for growth needs in Asia.

He also pointed out that "banks that are downsizing or rightsizing are still hiring selectively for revenue generation and stricter compliance roles, despite a headcount freeze in support and back-end roles".

Contract positions are also on the rise, in place of permanent headcounts, Mr Lee said.

Mr Finian Toh, manager of the banking and finance division of Robert Walters Singapore, said that some banking institutions might move employees around different departments, instead of retrenching them outright.

This would be a viable option for companies whose staff have the required compliance and regulatory skill sets needed by different departments, he added.

The report said that a slowdown in hiring activity across all sectors is to be expected, compared to the first quarter, which saw more hiring during the Chinese New Year period.

Mr Lee said: "Overall, the unemployment rate is expected to remain status quo."

Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20130418-416730.html