Most wanted skills in Singapore’s banking and finance sector revealed

Online job postings in Singapore’s the banking and finance sector rose 40% during the first quarter this year from the previous one, according to figures from jobs analysis platform JobTech.

The increase refers to “unique” job postings – i.e. those that are not duplicated. JobTech said there were 800 more of them over the 2,000 in the fourth quarter of 2016. The organisation said its platform is able to track 90% of online job postings in the city-state, using technology developed by the Institute for Infocomm Research under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

In general, 20% of online job postings in the sector looked for candidates with abilities such as:

• proficiency in Microsoft Office
• sales
• communication skills
• interpersonal skills
• the understanding of technical protocols and good practices

Jobtech also to rank hirers’ need based on skill type. Among technical skills, Microsoft Office took the top spot, followed by Sales, and Planning. For soft skills or traits, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and a responsible character took the top three spots respectively. The top needs in the “Domain Knowledge” category are protocols; IT and business; and science and technology.

Last quarter’s rise in online job postings can be traced to a possible “seasonal effect” due to the sector’s hiring patterns at the start of the year, JobTech said. But it observed a “negative signal” during that same period, with March recording the lowest number of online job postings in 2017 so far.

A separate report by Kelly Services and Capita predicts salaries in the sector to rise by an average of 3% this year. “Singapore’s banks were negatively affected by their exposure to the troubled oil and gas sector. With the modest recovery of oil prices, the outlook has improved but remains moderate in the face of slowed growth,” said the report.