The Latest Hiring Trends in Singapore

Ever since the pandemic struck, it has changed the entire business equation. Several changes are happening in the recruitment landscape and they need to be addressed on a priority basis. From catering to new workplace requirements to getting better at skillset matching and upskilling, from quickly filling open roles to putting the right people in the right jobs. Yet, with most organizations in Singapore continuing to rely on traditional approaches to hiring and recruitment, the challenges in building and scaling bigger and better teams are only spiraling. 

Looking at the latest hiring trends 

The job market and associated hiring landscape in Singapore is opening up after a two-year slump, as is the world that’s returning to normalcy after adjusting to all the changes thrust upon it. 

A recent report discovered that the hiring outlook in Singapore is expected to reach an 11-year high in 2022. Sectors with the strongest hiring intentions include IT, Technology, Telecom, and Communications and Media, with a hiring outlook of +38%

Although several external factors are impacting companies’ ability to recruit, regardless of the roles companies are looking to fill, the overall hiring challenges and opportunities remain more or less the same. As the pressure on Singapore-based employers and staffing agencies to be on top of their game when it comes to sourcing top talent intensifies, it is important to keep up with key trends that are shaping the market and adapt hiring practices accordingly. 

Since hiring requires time, money, and resources sifting through hundreds of CVs daily, the chances of missing out on quality hires due to human errors and bias are countless. 

Let’s look at 5 trends Singapore teams need to stay on top of, to craft a successful hiring strategy: 

1. Remote working: The post-pandemic era has brought about a transformation in the traditional 9-5 working model. A recent survey conducted on work productivity in Singapore found that 38% of respondents are working fully from the office, while 8% are working fully from home. As the workforce continues to work via a remote or hybrid work model, organizations in Singapore will have to cater to this new trend to attract candidates, allow for virtual interviews, and also make offers that support (and encourage) remote and flexible working.  
2. Data-driven recruitment: Understanding the preferences and interests of each candidate and the industry requirements of various employers is critical. To hire the best-fit candidates, Singapore-based organizations will have to invest in analytics and machine learning platforms that help generate actionable insights to optimally allocate the right candidates to the right jobs. Such platforms will be able to quickly parse thousands of CVs, identify skills possessed by candidates, and then map them to the right roles. 
3. Automation: Given the fact that the hiring process is only getting increasingly complex with each passing year, companies will have to embrace advanced automation tools to accelerate the screening process while ensuring every stage in the interview process flows seamlessly and automatically to the other – with no human intervention. Right from automated interview scheduling to automated emails, candidate sourcing, sorting, references, and more – automation can increase efficiency and also improve the quality of the company’s hiring efforts. 
4. Skillset matching: As diversity and inclusion become a worldwide trend, in 2022, hiring teams in Singapore will also have to generate capability and compatibility scores of all candidates to ensure the best and most unprejudiced hiring outcomes. Using AI, they can look at the skills, courses, certifications, and other relevant skillsets of candidates and score them against the skills required for the job that they are applying for. At the same time, they will also have to look at the interests and preferences of the students and score them against the expectations of the job that they are applying for – all while ensuring inclusive hiring and minimal bias. 
5. Efficient retargeting: In addition to automated job and skillset matching, hiring teams in Singapore will also have to enable AI-powered retargeting to ensure they do not miss out on quality hires. Using AI platforms, they can tap into the existing talent pool, score them, and rediscover and retarget candidates for current or future roles that they are best suited for. 

XOPA’s AI solution to overcome hiring challenges 

Businesses across the world are looking for new and innovative ways to rebound from the turbulent 24-month stretch and take steps to bridge the ever-widening skills gap. For hiring teams in Singapore, the post-pandemic world demands a completely new outlook on recruitment. As the job market in Singapore picks up, organizations need to pull up their socks and stay abreast with the latest hiring trends. 

While there will be struggles, there are also opportunities in the new job market that companies need to capitalize on. Enhancing hiring efficiency, ensuring high-performing hires, and enabling easy scaling would require companies in Singapore to embrace modern technological advancements. 

If you want to save significant time and cost of hiring while maintaining objectivity in the decisions you take, XOPO AI Recruiter is the platform for you. It helps recruiters in streamlining hiring and selections, from sourcing potential candidates, screening objectively and at scale, virtual and asynchronous interviews, final selections, and onboarding.