Stronger hiring sentiment in Q1 among local employers: report

SINGAPORE: Hiring sentiment for Singapore employers has improved, even though they’re still cautious due to the challenging economic conditions in other parts of the world.

This is the assessment by global talent solutions company, Hudson, in its latest report on Employment Trends for the first quarter of 2013.

The percentage of employers who intend to increase staffing levels has risen 8.7 percentage points to 44.6 per cent.

The percentage who intend to keep staff steady is down 11.2 percentage points to 46.1 per cent.

Slightly more employers intend to cut headcount — up 2.5 percentage points to 9.3 per cent.

Hudson said one reason for the jump in positive hiring intentions is the better—than—expected domestic exports results.

Another is the positive trends in residential employment numbers, as multinational companies move their key regional corporate functions to Singapore to focus on long—term growth within their Asian—based businesses.

Hudson also said companies are focusing on driving productivity and high performance by retaining key talent.

More than a third of all employers, or 35.4 per cent, highlight retaining staff as their organisation’s highest human resource priority for 2013.

— CNA/ck