The sector that HR struggles most with retention

A recent study outlines the top reasons why the number of resignations have been rising in Singapore

BY Nurhuda Syed 24 May 2018

An increasing number of IT employees in Singapore are resigning to look for more work-life balance and career progression opportunities, according to new research by Robert Half.

According to the study, almost two-thirds (65%) of Singaporean CIOs say their company’s voluntary employee turnover – defined as employees freely resigning – among permanent IT professionals has increased over the last three years. Only 8% say it has decreased.

With a recent survey by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) showing jobs for technical IT specialists expected to grow by 33,400 from 2017 to 2019, IT professionals in Singapore are presented with an abundance of job opportunities.

This highlights the necessity for employers to focus on staff retention initiatives to keep their top performers long-term amidst a booming IT jobs market.

The top five reasons IT professionals are quitting include:

- poor work-life balance (55%)
- desire for more diverse career experiences (53%)
- stagnant career progression prospects (41%)
- more IT job opportunities in the market (39%)
- concern over company performance/fear of redundancies (29%)

“Skilled IT professionals know they are in demand and are more likely to change jobs if they are offered remuneration packages that encompass their desires and meet expectations, highlighting the ongoing war for IT talent in Singapore,” said Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard, managing director at Robert Half Singapore.

Besides reduced productivity and the additional recruitment costs, high staff turnover can be costly as it can also lead to low staff morale and the loss of company knowledge, Imbert-Bouchard added.

He suggested taking a proactive approach to staff retention such as offering flexible work hours or more diverse projects to individual employees who may feel like their role is stagnating to improve staff engagement.

Providing employee well-being programs, offering clear career pathways and creating a positive company culture can also go a long way to retaining staff in the long-term, he said.

How do you plan to retain valuable tech talent? Share your thoughts below.