Singapore job vacancies up in 2014, service and sales workers most keenly sought

THE number of job vacancies in Singapore rose in the year to September 2014, with the shortfall greatest in the services industry.

Job vacancies rose to 67,400, up 8.9 per cent from a year ago, as the labour market remained tight, said the Ministry of Manpower on Tuesday.

Every one in four vacancies was for service and sales workers such as shop sales assistants, security guards and waiters, while associate professionals and technicians accounted for almost one in five jobs that was not filled.

Within the services industry, the expansion of childcare and pre-schools, healthcare and tertiary institutes fuelled demand for workers in community, social and personal services. New shopping malls that opened also boosted hiring in wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services and administrative and support services.

The number of vacancies that was unfilled for at least six months remained largely the same from a year ago, the ministry said.

In a reflection of how lower-end jobs account for most of the vacancies that have been hard to fill, the most common reasons that employers gave for their difficulty in hiring locals were unattractive pay, preference for a shorter work week and physically strenuous nature.