Employers warned against inflating job titles

Employers across Singapore are being warned against inflating job titles amid reports that nearly half of employers are doing it or are considering it in the future.

Robert Walters Singapore described job inflation as the practice of offering inflated or exaggerated job titles that may not accurately reflect a role's responsibilities, seniority, or salary, Yahoo News reported.

In Singapore, 43% of hiring managers said they are inflating or considering inflating job titles in an attempt to attract of retain talent.

Consequences of inflating job titles

But inflating job titles could lead to various consequences for employers, according to Monty Sujanani, country manager of Robert Walters Singapore.

"If employees are given inflated job titles, it may be difficult for them to understand their actual job scope, or make it confusing to know who does what, which could lead to tasks not actually being done," Sujanani said as quoted by Singapore Business Review.

"There could potentially be a talent mismatch or cause resentment among employees as well."

In fact, only 21% of employers who inflated job titles said it had the desired effect on the workforce.

Sujanani further warned that inflating job titles could cause inefficiencies and inequality within the workforce, which could lead to turnover.

"Clearly defining roles and responsibilities and having accurate job titles can help to ensure fairness," Sujanani said.

Inflated job titles are an attempt from employers to attract more talent to an organisation, given that 85% of over 150 professionals in Singapore said a job title is important or very important during application, Yahoo News reported.