DBS to hire more than 2,000 in Singapore this year amid pandemic

SOUTH-EAST Asia's largest lender DBS on Thursday said it is committed to hiring more than 2,000 people in Singapore this year, notwithstanding the current economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 1,000 of these job openings are new roles comprising a mix of apprenticeships for fresh graduates as well as more specialised roles for seasoned professionals.

There will also be no change to DBS's annual internship programmes which are expected to offer some 400 roles in 2020, the lender said in a press statement, adding that these internships give students the opportunity to "put their academic skills to the test in a real-world work environment".

In line with DBS's ongoing digitalisation efforts, over a third - or more than 360 - of the new permanent roles being created are for seasoned professionals in growth technology areas. More than 300 of these new jobs are in the areas of UX/UI, data science, fraud detection, compliance, as well as consumer and institutional banking technology.

The bank is also looking to train and hire over 60 people in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, full stack development and data analytics through a range of specialised talent development programmes, namely the Technology in Finance Immersion Programme (TFIP) and the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) Mid-Career Advance.

Both programmes aim to help seasoned professionals begin a technology career in financial services, with the TeSA Mid-Career Advance going a step further by reskilling those with no background in technology.

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DBS is also recruiting more than 700 young talent in two main areas: specialised programmes and temporary apprenticeships.

The specialised programmes include: the bank's graduate associate programmes, which groom fresh graduates into future banking leaders; the applied wealth management track, which is open to students enrolled in Nanyang Business School's Bachelor of Business programme; as well as DBS's analytics capability enhancement programme and executive management associate programme, which cater to postgraduates.

DBS said the "more tech-inclined" can enrol to join the Skill Enhancement Education and Development (SEED) programme supported by TeSA, which trains those with less than two years of experience so they can build careers in roles such as development, DevOps and cyber-security.

In all, DBS expects to bring on board 200 people for these specialised programmes.

Meanwhile, its six to 12-month apprenticeships offer the possibility of conversion to a permanent role. As one of the pioneer host companies participating in the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, DBS will also offer 500 apprenticeships to recent and upcoming graduates from universities, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education and other private educational institutions.

"These apprenticeships allow young graduates to develop their skills professionally and gain valuable working experience, giving them a firmer foothold in the job market when the economy recovers," said the lender.

As for other roles across the bank, DBS will continue to hire "judiciously" . It expects to make around 1,000 such hires in Singapore this year. Since the Covid-19 outbreak in Singapore in February, it has hired close to 500 people for roles in client advisory, data, digital, technology as well as risk and control.

DBS's latest announcement on job openings amid the global pandemic follows an earlier commitment to protect the jobs of its 12,000-strong workforce in Singapore. DBS said it has reassured staff that there will be no layoffs. All employees, including branch staff who are unable to perform their duties because of temporary branch closures amid the "circuit-breaker" restrictions, continue to remain on full pay.

In addition, staff who are facing a lull in work activity are encouraged to take the opportunity to upskill themselves through the bank's comprehensive e-learning programme.

Chief executive officer Piyush Gupta said on Thursday: "While DBS is also prudent in our outlook, as a key employer in Singapore, it seemed right to us to not just continue with hiring for business-as-usual activities, but also to actively create new jobs where we can, so as to help more people tide through this difficult period.

"In particular, we want to do our part to avoid having a 'lost' generation of young graduates in Singapore whose career prospects are jeopardised because they are unable to find jobs due to the pandemic."