Over 1,500 companies in the professional services sector have offered about 9,000 opportunities since April, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed on October 1.
Among them, 5,870 opportunities were jobs, of which 81% of the roles were taken up by professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs).
The remaining 3,150 opportunities account for traineeships, attachments and training places, MOM detailed in its jobs situation report update. Such updates are made weekly by the MOM for different sectors.
To-date, more than 1,400 job seekers have been undertaken these opportunities. Calling the professional services sector a very diverse one, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has had “quite an uneven” impact on the sector.
For instance, firms in the architecture and engineering clusters saw works grounding to a halt – especially during the circuit breaker period – as migrant workers who account for a substantial part of their workforce were put on stay home notices and quarantine order to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections in the dormitories.
Similarly, law firms have reported a 70% decrease in their workload, said Teo who was speaking at a press conference after a visit to PwC Singapore.
Interestingly, the accountancy subsector bucked the trend and has been less affected during the pandemic as audit, accounting and taxation services are needed to ensure that companies meet statutory requirements.
A growth in demand for technology and expertise in cybersecurity has also expedited in this time as both companies and consumers turn to digital platforms to overcome the safe distancing restrictions. This has benefitted firms offering consultancy, design, advertising and marketing services, said Teo.
“Clients have turned to HR consulting firms for advice to set up effective remote working systems as well as to manage company restructuring,” MOM observes.
"As the subsector pivots towards new growth areas, job seekers should be prepared to hone their skills in emerging technologies such as Cloud technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence”.
In terms of pay scale, MOM notes that persons in non-specialised roles such as management and business consultancy can typically earn between $3,500 and $8,500. Candidates with more specialised skills can conversely command higher salaries.
Also in demand are advertising and marketing services with roles such as content strategies remaining high as companies look to outdoing their ever increasing competitor list in the digital space, MOM’s report details.
Salaries for employees in these sectors typically range between $4,750 to $9,500 while that of commercial and marketing sales executives range from $2,250 to $4,500, said the report.
Interestingly, the acceleration of digitalisation has given design services greater prominence as companies have been looking to enhance their online presence, MOM notes.
This has trickled down to employees of the sector with graphic and multimedia designers and artists earning between $6,750 and $9,250, while that for interior designers hovers around $2,900 and $4,600.
Speaking at the same event as Teo, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing acknowledged that the professional services sector is one of high growth. It thus underpins Singapore’s status as a business hub, he said.
"If we do well, we are able to service the biggest, the best, the most innovative firms from around the world in Singapore. If we do well, we are able to create many opportunities for Singaporeans, not just in Singapore but also in the region and different parts of the world," he added.
Chan further stressed that, “Singapore's reputation as a hub for talent is hard-won. But at the same time, this reputation can also be easily lost if we are not careful. So we must continuously look at how we strengthen our ability to grow and attract talent to serve the global market," he said.
