Internal auditors, civil engineers and IT change project managers are just three areas of staffing demand that recruiting expert Hays says will remain in high demand in Singapore throughout 2016.

'Singapore remains an international hub for many MNCs, the technology recruitment market remains buoyant across most industries and the infrastructure sector is busy thanks to continued government investment,' says Lynne Roeder, Managing Director of Hays in Singapore.

'The banking and financial services sector is focused on hiring across risk and controls related positions, private practice international law firms are boosting the size of existing teams, and insurance companies are investing in technology as the customer experience becomes paramount to winning new business. In life sciences there is a surge to fill vacancies before Chinese New Year.

'Meanwhile the temporary recruitment market has also been extremely active with employers making use of immediately available candidates to help fill temporary voids in their teams. Interestingly, the contract market is becoming more specialised with technical temporary assignments now available.

'Put all this together and it certainly signals an active jobs market for those professionals with the skills in demand.'

According to the January to March Hays Quarterly Report these include:

Accountancy & Finance:

• In professional practice, and with the volume of merger & acquisition (M&A) activity in South East Asia continuing to grow, we are seeing increased demand for M&A professionals with exposure to Post-Merger Integration.
• In commerce, industry-specific regional auditors are in demand.

Architecture:

• Interior designers (workplace solutions) with experience in corporate fit-outs are needed to support companies looking to move offices.
• With a number of pending large hospital projects, healthcare architects and medical planners are needed.

Banking & Financial Services:

• Internal auditors are in high demand thanks to an increased focus around third line of defence.
• Client onboarding professionals are also sought due to an increase in regulations at the front line level.

Contact Centres:

• Due to high turnover, customer service specialists are needed.
• Given the growth of high net worth business in Singapore, concierge and lifestyle consultants are sought. Similarly, the luxury travel industry is expanding and as such travel consultants are required to service clients.

Construction:

• With the continued activity from large tunnelling projects across Singapore, experienced tunnel engineers are needed.
• Risk Management Facilitator is a newly created position as a result of a recently introduced requirement from authorities. Yet there are few candidates who qualify or have this experience.

Engineering:

• The Land Transport Authority of Singapore has planned an extensive enlargement of the metro rail network. With new lines set to commence construction in mid-2016 there will be huge demand for civil engineers with rail design skills.
• Bridge and tunnel design are part of the current infrastructure project boom and structural engineers are therefore required.

Finance Technology:

• IT change project managers with experience managing multiple project life-cycles in the insurance or financial services industry are sought.
• IT security remains a key issue across most financial services organisations and as such demand for IT security experts continues to remain strong.

Human Resources:

• HR business partners are needed for new head offices to effectively manage stakeholders.
• Companies are trying to up-skill and retain existing staff, which is creating the need for more learning & development professionals.

Information Technology:

• Applications specialists and technical developers remain in high demand as companies try to stay ahead of the curve in new technology, as do senior analysts able to interpret and translate big data for commercial decision-making to support C-level executives.

Insurance:

• Reinsurance claims within engineering and energy are areas of demand, as these are technical, niche areas requiring specific expertise.
• Casualty-liability products are in demand and as such, underwriters in this area are too.

Legal:

• Demand for paralegals to fill both in-house and private practice roles continues to rise.
• As Singapore is one of the world's most active maritime hubs, legal candidates with experience in shipping, specifically in the areas of ship finance and shipping litigation, are in high demand.

Life Sciences:

• Process engineers are highly sought after as bio-manufacturing hubs here in Singapore are expanding their capabilities and transferring more product and technology to their plants.
• Flavourists in the food industry are also in demand as a number of flavour houses have established regional application laboratories here to service the APAC FMCG and F&B industry.

Office Professionals:

• Demand exists for receptionists with a stable background and strong English language skills.
• Secretaries open to performing duties outside of their normal remit, such as managing office supplies and handling facilities management, are also in demand.

Oil & Gas:

• Construction of offshore production facilities for the industry continues to be a solid market in Asia. Senior project managers and construction managers with 'mega project' experience of delivering US$150m-plus value projects, particularly with FPSO/Topside experience, remain in demand.
• Specialist technical superintendents with experience and knowledge of the offshore market are needed too.

Property:

• The market is becoming heavily outsourced which has created a large demand for facilities managers within service provider organisations.
• As there is a fair amount of construction happening within the areas of commercial and office space, skilled project managers are sought to lead new build and alteration and addition projects.

Sales & Marketing:

• Heavy investment from organisations is driving demand for digital experts in-house.
• Partnership sales/marketing is gathering popularity across multiple industries, including banking & financial services and hospitality. Acting in an account manager capacity, partnership marketers are not only maximising revenue from corporate partners but searching and often pitching to potential partners.

Supply Chain:

• Business process/continuous improvement experience remains a key skill in demand across industries. A number of SME and MNC organisations have been going through reorganisations and seek process improvement professionals to continue an ongoing improvement cycle.
• Junior supply chain professionals are also required by organisations trying to cope with extra workload, reorganisations and expansion plans.

To see the full list of skills in demand and trends for your industry, please visit www.hays.com.sg/report

Hays is located in Singapore at Level 27, UOB Plaza 2, 80 Raffles Place, Singapore. Phone +65 6223 4535 or email [email protected]

Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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For further information please contact Kerryn Celine, Senior Marketing Executive - South East Asia at Hays, on +61 2 8226 9844 or [email protected]