DEMAND for temporary staff and interim professionals has risen sharply in Singapore as companies rush to meet their deadlines before the end of the year, recruitment agency Robert Half said on Thursday.

According to its survey, 73 per cent of Singapore firms have increased the number of interim professionals and temporary staff compared with three years ago. This is well above the increases in Hong Kong (69 per cent), Japan (68 per cent) and the UK (67 per cent).

Hot in demand are accounting, finance and banking professionals, and those prepared to work on an interim basis are "commanding top dollar as firms face a talent shortage between November and March".

"The jobs rush is caused by the need for companies to finalise their accounts before the end of the year and to kick-start strategies that will benefit their business in the new year,'' Robert Half said on its survey of 550 chief financial officers (CFOs), including 150 CFOs from Singapore.

It added that the practice is especially common among mid-sized firms with between 250 and 499 employees. The percentage of mid-sized firms that have increased their temporary staff and interim professionals is 80 per cent compared to 68 per cent of small firms and 72 per cent of large firms.