Singapore, 25 January 2018: In research conducted by global recruitment consultancy, Page Personnel Singapore, 3 out of 5 professionals in Singapore were found to accept a contracting role only after exhausting permanent job options. In addition, 60% of the respondents agreed to take on a contracting role if they are jobless for an extended period of time.
The Page Personnel Singapore Contracting Minute 2018 survey studied the responses from 3,861 professionals in Singapore on their sentiments towards fixed-term employment.
With a number of companies in Singapore increasing contracting headcount, opportunities for professionals to take on these specialist short-term roles are very promising.
Mellissa Mayne, Associate Director, Page Personnel Singapore is confident of the benefits contracting bring to a businesses, “In order to address the volatile business market in Singapore, a short to mid-term view on employment is also necessary. While companies traditionally took on long-term perspectives, the current demands require swift solutions to employment limitations and contracting allows for that level of flexibility.”
“Companies themselves have recognised the importance of placing their hires on trial employment before converting them to permanent hire. This gives them first-hand view on how a professional handles pressing work situations as well as their cultural fit in the organisation. These are vital aspects to a role cannot be fully understood through the job interview process,” explains Mellissa Mayne.
However, professionals indicated several barriers to accepting a contracting role, mainly job insecurity (26%), lack of employee benefits (24%) and a lower sense of belonging to company (23%).
To ease their apprehensions, professionals have cited some key initiatives from companies. These included being offered higher than market rate salary (30%), equal benefits as permanent hires (26%) as well as the assurance of conversion to a permanent role (21%).
Mellissa Mayne remains positive with regards to how companies are approaching contracting policies, “There is ongoing education with hiring managers to ensure they understand the necessity of competitive employee benefits and salaries in order for candidates to feel valued in their organisation. Otherwise they will not be able to attract the talent they need for their positions. We are now seeing contracting professionals qualifying for completion bonuses, annual leave and flexi-benefits.”
Overall, the view on contracting is largely positive as 55% of respondents feel that fixed-term employment will have a positive impact on their long-term career. A majority (36%) of which who were found to be more receptive to contracting roles had more than 10 years job experience. This creates sound industry know-how to apply themselves to a consulting position on specific projects.
Equally encouraging was the recognisation of advantages towards a candidate’s portfolio. 23% of those surveyed acknowledged the opportunity to gain exposure to other industries, 20% saw contracting as a foot in the door to a specific organisation and 19% welcomed the work-life balance and flexibility in contracting roles.
Requirements for contracting roles have also seen a shift from generalist to specialist. Mellissa Mayne observes, “The emphasis is on multi-skilled employees which means that they are expected to manage a project and maintain daily BAU (business as usual) at the same time. When there is a skill gap in the company, employers hire specialist contractors with the expertise to train their current employees and implement certain systems or projects. Contractors have to be skilled enough to add as much value as possible to the organisation in their limited time there.”
To view the full results, download the The Page Personnel Singapore Contracting Minute 2018 survey here.
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About Page Personnel Singapore
Part of PageGroup, Page Personnel delivers a specialised, high-quality recruitment service that places junior to mid-level professionals across the contracting, customer service, secretarial and office support, finance and accounting, human resources, sales and marketing, and technology sectors.
The Group operates through 140 offices in 36 countries worldwide. First established in London in 1976, we have been bringing job seekers and employers together for more than 40 years.