IT jobs in demand in Malaysia, Singapore: Robert Walters

  • Malaysia demand driven by shortage of technically skilled job applicants
  • Strong Singapore demand for digital marketing experts and app developers
IT jobs in demand in Malaysia, Singapore: Robert Walters

ADVERTISING for information technology (IT) jobs in Malaysia and Singapore saw a 75% and 44% rise respectively, according to international recruitment consultancy Robert Walters, which has just published its Asia Job Index for Q4 2014.
 
In Malaysia, IT candidates remained in demand, with the shortage of technically skilled job applicants a key factor in the 75% rise in job advertising. Overall, Malaysian government initiatives boosted job creation.
 
In Singapore, the surge in job advertising (up 44%) for IT professionals was largely due to growing online consumerism, which has resulted in a strong demand for candidates with experience in digital marketing and mobile application development, Robert Walters said in a statement.
 
The Asia Job Index tracks job advertising volumes for professional positions across the leading job boards and national newspapers in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, it added.
 
In Malaysia
 
IT jobs in demand in Malaysia, Singapore: Robert Walters“The [Malaysian] Government’s initiatives to strengthen infrastructure and increase business operational efficiency continues to attract increasing numbers of multinationals to the country,” said Robert Walters Malaysia managing director Sally Raj (pic).
 
“This explains the encouraging increases in job advertising volumes we have seen across 2014. Companies are continuously trying to reach out to top talent in the market.
 
“In order to ensure further growth, hiring managers are producing very strong retention strategies to keep their best performers.
 
“2015 will be an interesting year ahead as businesses have already expressed concerns around the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to be implemented in April,” she added.
 
Other key Malaysia findings:

  • New shopping malls and the entrance of more international brands created a strong 31% increase over 2013 for retail job advertising, particularly within the luxury and mass labels markets.
  • Job advertising for marketing professionals grew a significant 55% from 2013 as more companies sought to attract consumers and drive sales.
  • Malaysia’s emerging status as a key manufacturing and logistics hub in South-East Asia drove job advertising in logistics up 33% from 2013.

In Singapore
 
“Job advertising [in Singapore] has been impacted by the Fair Consideration Framework which has left numbers looking slightly inflated in 2014,” said Robert Walters Southeast Asia managing director Toby Fowlston.
 
“A lot of listed positions remain open for longer because clients are looking for good Singaporean talent. The challenge is in fulfilling this demand with the increased competition for Singaporean candidates.
 
“In comparison, the Singapore economy is growing at a more conservative rate. These numbers are more reflective of the certain industries in the job market where we are clearly seeing more growth.
 
“The country has held its placement as one of the key financial services hubs in the region. While we have seen some offshoring of the backoffice functions to more cost-effective locations, there has been noteworthy growth in the insurance and asset management sectors.
 
“Singapore will remain a local candidate-driven market for the foreseeable future. In order to counter this, companies are putting down measures to attract talent with emphasis on retention, development and competitive remuneration,” he added.
 
Other key Singapore findings:

  • Compliance and legal job advertising volumes saw the largest increase of 64% year on year, driven by increased governance and regulatory requirements.
  • An acute talent crunch across Singapore drove job advertising for HR (human resource) professionals, which increased by 48% year on year as companies recognised the need to both attract and importantly retain the market’s strongest talent.
  • Significant rise in retail job advertising, up by 45% over 2013 driven by growth in consumer confidence and spending.

To download a copy of the Robert Walters Asia Job Index Q4 2014 report, click here.
 
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