The demand for temporary staff is expected to increase during the second quarter this year, as firms focus on costs and look for maximum flexibility in workforce management, according to
Hays Singapore managing director Lynne Roeder.
“This is particularly true in large MNCs [multi-national corporations] especially in financial services back fill roles as staff move on after collecting their annual bonuses,” she said.
Another reason for the upsurge in contracting is with bonuses and job security no longer guaranteed in Singapore, according to the company’s quarterly report. This has made some candidates cautious about moving employers’ thus making it very hard for employers to attract talent to certain roles.
As a result, some employers are using contract roles as a way of bringing on high quality talent in a relatively tight market, it added.
It said a large majority of active candidates in the city-state actually prefer the contracting field. “The higher rates offered by contracting in addition to the professional challenge that is offered by moving from one project to another instead of riding the usual ebbs and flow of a permanent role helps to keep their skills at the cutting edge,” said Roeder. “Candidates interviewing for temporary and contract roles should note that employers will be expecting them to showcase their soft skills.”
“Soft skills in particular demand include strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team but also assertiveness. We advise candidates to prepare thoroughly for interviews if they want to maximise their ability to land the best roles.”
An over reliance on the use of temporary workers can lead to negative consequences for the productivity of individual firms and the economy, according to research published by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Using temporary employment solely to reduce costs “can lead to complacency among businesses in terms of their competitiveness, or to them undercutting the responsible employment practices of other enterprises,” said a recent research brief of the study. It made use of data on over 72,000 private sector firms in 118 developing countries from 2006-2014.
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