Recruiting and managing talent in Singapore either directly or through professional recruitment agencies can be very different compared to other countries. Employers, especially international companies in Singapore, may find it challenging recruiting employees quite different compared to their own experience either back in their home country or other offices elsewhere. Recruiting talent has become one of the most challenging tasks that companies face when growing their businesses in Singapore, especially during and post COVID 19 pandemic.
One of the unique recruitment challenges in Singapore is perhaps the working language in Singapore, which is English, compared to all countries in this region except Hong Kong. Due to this factor and the fact that Singapore is a financial hub and regional headquarters of many companies, there is constant flow of international talent willing to relocate and work in Singapore. This makes it hard for employers to differentiate between local and international applicants when filling job vacancies in Singapore.
The easy availability of internet access and all types of job portals and recruitment platforms allow many international job seekers to apply for the various roles advertised by employers in Singapore. Typically for each vacancy of technical and professional jobs in Singapore, there can be up to 10 international applicants for each local applicant. Given this overwhelming ratio, it is no wonder that employers are often faced with the difficult choice of choosing between a local and foreign talent. There is no official government quota or restrictions in terms of how many foreign professional staff which an employer can hire in Singapore as long as the candidate meets the qualifying criteria. As a result, many employers tend to take the easy way of hiring foreign talent due to the abundant supply and sheer number of applicants coming from all over the world.
Where do employers tap into the talent market in Singapore?
Many employers have turned to engaging recruitment agency Singapore to source actively for local talent as they can be deployed more quickly and there are no work pass issues associated with hiring local staff. The Singapore government has also provided generous hiring incentives such as job growth incentive for local employers to hire more local staff. The availability of work passes has also been reduced and tightened and it is no longer easy to obtain one for foreign employees here.
It would be a long wait if employers were to expect candidates, especially locals, to come knocking on their doors, and it would be a tedious task to go through all the job advertisement portals to look for suitable candidates.
Given the above scenarios, employers should consider consulting and working with a reliable and professional recruitment or employment agency in Singapore.