More marketing, veterinary and sports job openings, but overall hiring slows in S’pore: Job portal

SINGAPORE – Job openings in the marketing, veterinary and sports sectors have surged in recent months but the overall employment market has been subdued, noted job platform Indeed.

Marketing saw particularly strong demand, with a 38 per cent rise in positions from June to August, compared with the preceding three months.

But overall job postings declined by 11.8 per cent in August, compared with the same month in 2023, noted Indeed. Postings were also around 30 per cent down from the peak in November 2022.

The number of veterinary sector positions rose 28 per cent in the June to August period over the preceding three months, while that for those in sports, including football, were 15 per cent higher. Jobs in both fields require specialised skills, making them more difficult to fill.

The human resources sector also did better than the overall situation.

“Despite a downward trend in national job postings, there is still a lot of work for those in human resources, with job postings up almost 11 per cent,” said Indeed on Oct 3.

Some sectors saw a drop in openings.

Postings for childcare jobs fell by 53 per cent in the June to August period from the preceding three months. There were also declines of 33 per cent for positions in cleaning and sanitation, 30 per cent for social science ones and 27 per cent for security and public safety roles.

Job openings in childcare and two transport sectors – driving and logistics support – were all slightly below pre-pandemic levels, Indeed noted.

Its findings also showed that job postings in a vast majority of industries were above their pre-pandemic baseline, with 20 per cent of sectors having more than double the number of postings then.

Employers have become cautious given recent economic conditions, as companies tighten budgets and adapt to changing market conditions, a process that includes sending some roles overseas, said Mr David Blasco, country director at Randstad Singapore.

This has resulted in employers shifting their focus to attract talent with more niche and specialised skills in the workforce, he added.

“With regard to marketing, front-facing positions such as sales enablement are in demand,” he added.

Indeed’s data was compiled across June, July and August, a period when hiring typically slows down, said Ms Betul Genc, senior vice-president and head of Asean for workforce solutions company Adecco.

Towards the end of the third and fourth quarters, “employers (place) increased emphasis on critical roles that can contribute to branding, revenue and growth objectives before financial closing at the end of the year”, added Ms Genc.

Despite the decline in job openings, vacancies in Singapore remain well above pre-pandemic levels, said Mr Callam Pickering, senior economist for Indeed Apac.

“Certain sectors, like search engine optimisation marketing, video production and veterinary roles, continue to thrive, demonstrating that opportunities still exist in areas of specialised demand,” he added.