Bilingual candidates in demand in Indonesia

If you've got a good grip on written and spoken English, you're likely to be lapped up by Indonesia's job market in 2015.

The annual salary survey by Robert Walters has found that companies in Indonesia are looking to attract bilingual candidates, by meeting their salary expectations, offering quality training programmes, and opportunities for international exposure.

Figures from the survey suggested that candidates who switched jobs in 2014 expected salary increments of 25-35%, a trend likely to continue in 2015.

This is true especially in the high-growth sectors such as professional services, FMCG, IT, technology and manufacturing, where good performance is attributed to the active spending by the burgeoning middle class, which correspondingly increased consumption.

Said Rob Bryson, director of Robert Walters Indonesia, "A good command of written and spoken English is a qualification job seekers looking to join multinationals in Indonesia must possess."

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HR experts, found the report, will be sought-after at the mid-management level, in order to execute operational plans and drive organisational change.

Due to a tightening of regulation, the report also found a high demand for accounting and finance candidates, as well as asset managers, investment bankers and insurance specialists.

"Indonesia's positive economic market conditions and the entrance of multinationals into the market have opened up more job opportunities for the local workforce," added Bryson.

However, the limited candidate pool to fill these roles is likely to pose significant hiring challenges.

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