Singapore online recruitment activity down 8% in Nov: survey

ONLINE recruitment activity in Singapore weakened across all sectors in November, registering an 8 per cent decline from the same period last year, a market survey showed.

The Monster Employment Index, released on Tuesday, showed that no industry sectors or job roles in Singapore registered positive year-on-year growth last month.

The index by global online employment provider Monster is a monthly gauge of online job hiring activity, recording the industries and occupations that show the highest and lowest growth in recruitment activity in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The healthcare industry in Singapore registered the smallest drop in online hiring at 2 per cent year-on-year. Its index was 109 in November, compared with 111 last year.

While healthcare also saw the highest demand for jobs, its growth was flat. The occupation growth index for this sector was 110 in November this year, same as the year before.

The industry dealing with consumer goods, food, home appliances, garments and jewellery was the worst hit in terms of employment opportunities, registering a 20 per cent drop. Its index was 86 in November this year and 107 a year ago.

The real estate sector had the worst decline in job demand, with the index coming in at 105 in November, a 19 per cent drop from last year's 130.

Volatile economic conditions led to a drop in demand for banking professionals, said Monster. In Singapore, the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector saw a 5 per cent fall in jobs between October and November year-on-year. The indices for this sector were 124 and 120 in October and November this year respectively, compared with 127 and 126 last year.

Malaysia was hit hard, with a steep 24 per cent drop in demand. The index for BFSI was 73 in November this year, and 96 for last year.