New findings also reveal job market will be more active in first half of 2024
HR and admin roles have emerged as the top job functions in Singapore that saw the most hiring activity in 2023, but they were also the most affected by layoffs.
A new survey from Jobstreet by Seek revealed that 90% of employers hired at least one position in the past year, with 82% of employers saying they went for permanent full-time employees.
Admin and HR emerged as the top job function hired in 2023, keeping its top spot from the previous year. The full list includes:
Chart from Jobstreet by Seek
Affected by layoffs
The survey, however, also found that Admin and HR roles climbed to the top of the list of jobs that were most affected by layoffs in 2023. The full list includes:
Chart from Jobstreet by Seek
The findings come as retrenchments doubled in Singapore in 2023, with the government promising a financial support scheme for laid off employees this year.
Hiring plans
Meanwhile, the report also revealed that employers are more confident in hiring in the first half of the year than the latter half.
According to the survey, 45% of employers believe Singapore's job market will be active in the first half of 2024, while only 32% think this would be the case in the second half.
Chart from Jobstreet by Seek
Nearly half of employers (49%) surveyed also said they were planning on increasing their permanent headcount, while 33% plan to hire more contract staff in the first half. The most cited reasons for hiring contract staff include:
- Business expansion (54%)
- Difficulty in recruiting suitable and qualified full-time staff (34%)
- Requiring new role skillsets (29%)
The results reflect the findings from the Ministry of Manpower last month, which showed that the proportion of firms with the intent to hire in the first three months is at 47.7%.
It warned, however, that as the risks in the global economy remain, business reorganisation or restructuring "will continue and may lead to further retrenchments."
