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Almost half of the employers in Singapore have plans to increase the number of full-time employees in 2022, according to the latest Hays Asia Salary Guide.
In the last twelve months, 36 per cent of Singapore employers reported additional headcount, but in the next 12 months the number is expected to rise to 47 per cent. Also in the view of 10 per cent of employers is that current staff count will decrease, as opposed to 25 per cent in the last twelve months. 79 per cent also expect to be no hiring freezes for this year.
Kirsty Hulston, regional director of Hays Singapore says, “Employers certainly have an increased appetite to hire this year, given the lifting of hiring freezes and the high level of business activity anticipated. With the pandemic stabilizing and the economy recovering from the disruption, employers in Singapore were some of the most optimistic in Asia, with 73 per cent saying they expect business activity levels to increase this year.”
The optimism is shared with its northern neighbor Malaysia, too, as 74 per cent of organizations sees business to pick up. It’s progressively less enthusiastic for the number of employers in Japan and Hong Kong SAR at 69 per cent and 62 per cent respectively. Businesses in China is least positive, with just 60 per cent of respondents expecting activities to increase in the next 12 months.
Now in its 15th edition, the Guide compiles and presents salary and sector overviews based on real data and a survey of skilled professionals across China, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. Over 9,500 responses were collected between October to November 2021.
“Our data tells us that the top three factors keeping employees feeling happy with their jobs is salary package, work-life balance, and flexible working options. Given the fewer number of people actively job searching, it indicates that employers’ retention strategies, especially those designed to adapt to a new world of flexibility and hybrid workplaces, are working. However, instead of being complacent, employers should actively listen to their staff more to understand what makes them feel more fulfilled at work,” says Kirsty.
