Half of leaders in Singapore still emphasise candidates' academics
About half of employers in Singapore still look at a job candidate’s academic qualifications when filling a PMET vacancy, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The other 51% place greater emphasis on their fit and consider their skills, work experience and attitude.
The lack of necessary specialised skills was a common challenge faced by employers when hiring for PMET vacancies, based on the latest Job Vacancies 2019 report.
For non-PMET positions, it was usually due to a mismatch in wage expectations.
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The report found that job opportunities remained available across all sectors in 2019, mainly in information & communications, public administration & education, professional services, financial & insurance services, and manufacturing.
About 42% of the vacancies in 2019 were for newly created positions as a result of business expansion and formation.
Jobs that were in demand included:
- software, web & multimedia developers
- systems analysts
- commercial & marketing sales executives
- business development managers
- nurses and healthcare assistants
However, in a Facebook post, Minister Josephine Teo said the jobs market may change for the worse in 2020.
“The findings have been overtaken by the evolving COVID-19 outbreak and a global economic slow-down. But they come as no surprise,” Teo said. “There were fewer vacancies overall in 2019 but still many opportunities in the growth sectors.
“However, given the uncertainties in 2020, we expect vacancies to fall further.
“Hiring sentiments have weakened which means jobseekers will have a more challenging time. Therefore, the focus must be to help as many people as possible stay in their current jobs.”
