Singapore’s hiringmarket among strongest worldwide (Paris)

Singapore’s hiring market among strongest worldwide
By: Akankasha Dewan, Singapore

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Singapore - Recruitment for accounting and finance professionals will be significantly more robust in Singapore in the next six months as compared to other countries.

According to research released by Robert Half Singapore during the launch of its Protected content Salary Guide, 45% of local organisations will hire more finance and accounting professionals in the first half of this year.

The figure makes Singapore the fourth most dynamic recruitment market in the world, right behind China (69%), Brazil (63%) and Hong Kong (48%).

The survey, which polled 2,350 global CFOs, found an average of 38% of companies plan to increase the number of finance and accounting employees worldwide.

"In addition to adding new finance and accounting staff, 53% of the Protected content CFOs polled will be in the employment market to replace staff as and when they leave. Only 2% of companies are planning to freeze their headcount," the report said.

"Singapore is one of only three countries where there wasn't a single company surveyed that indicated they planned to reduce staff - together with the UAE and Hong Kong. In other words, no company has plans to reduce their accounting and finance headcount in the first six months of Protected content

The report included small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees will be the most active hirers in Protected content .

Compared to 31% of large firms, the survey revealed 48% of small companies and 46% of medium-sized companies plan to hire accounting and finance staff in this half of Protected content .

"Like the large corporations, many small to mid-sized firms are confident about their prospects this year and are comfortable increasing their employee numbers. Demand is also being driven by higher standards of corporate governance, resulting in a need for more professionals with internal audit, tax and regulatory skills," Stella Tang, director of Robert Half Singapore, said.

"The industries where the new finance and accounting jobs will be created include fast moving consumer goods, energy, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and real estate," she added.