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PMET roles made up 80% of opportunities offered in professional services in Singapore

PMET roles made up 80% of opportunities offered in professional services in Singapore

An estimated 9,000 opportunities have been offered by more than 1,500 professional services firms in Singapore, since April 2020, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has stated.

In its seventh edition of the Jobs Situation Report, released yesterday (1 October), the Ministry noted that of these opportunities, 80% were for professional, managerial, executive, and technician (PMET) roles.

More than 1,400 jobseekers placed in jobs, traineeships, and training courses

As part of the above, more than 1,400 jobseekers have been placed in these opportunities, which include jobs (which made up two-thirds of the opportunities), company-hosted traineeships/attachments, and training courses. 

In particular, 5,870 jobs were offered, of which a majority (4,750) were in PMET roles, and 1,120 were in non-PMET roles.

At the same time, a total of 2,070 company-hosted traineeships and attachments were offered; while 1,080 training places were opened up.

priya oct 2020 mom jobs situation report chart 2 saved

 

Demands for key skillsets remain high/continue to grow across sub-sectors

Zooming in on specific sub-sector data, the report highlighted the following:

Accountancy

Despite the impact of the pandemic and more selective nature of the roles within this sub-sector, it offers opportunities such as company-hosted traineeships and attachments in roles such as audit associate, accounts associate, and tax associate, allowing jobseekers more exposure and avenues to pick up industry-relevant skills.

In this sector, salaries for accounts range from S$3,150 to S$7,450.

Skills required to enhance progression in this field:

priya oct 2020 mom jobs situation report accountancy

Engineering

Jobseekers in the engineering sub-sectors are required to both specific skillsets and knowledge in the field. According to MOM, the field is currently offering company-hosted traineeships and attachments in roles such as mechanical/civil and Structural engineers, building information modelers, project assistant engineer (tank maintenance), assistant sales engineer (electrical heat tracking) and electrical technician.

In terms of salaries for major job roles, mechanical engineers could earn between S$4,000 to S$6,000 a month, while civil engineers could earn between S$3,750 to S$5,500.

Top skills for career progression include:

priya oct 2020 mom jobs situation report chart 5 saved

 

Advertising and marketing

In this sub-sector, the demand for roles such as content strategists, community managers and commercial and marketing sales executives remains high as companies seek to stand out among the growing number of competitors in the digital sphere.

Within these roles, the average salaries for advertising and marketing professionals range from S$4,750 to S$9,500, while for commercial and marketing sales executives, it's between S$2,250 to S$4,500.

Further, the following transferrable skills, as well as skills to be acquired were highlighted:

priya oct 2020 mom jobs situation report marketing

Design

With more businesses moving online to adapt and stay relevant during the pandemic, design services, especially in UX/UI, have gained prominence.

Over the months, career conversion programmes such as PCPs for Designers (Furniture & Lifestyle) as well as UX/UI Digital or Spatial Professionals have seen a 40% increase in uptake since the pandemic.

Additionally, company-hosted traineeships/attachments have also opened up for roles such as design executives, graphic design/communications trainees, interior designers, and UX/UI interaction designers.

Salary ranges and a list of skills that boost career prospects here include:

priya oct 2020 mom jobs situation report design

Consultancy

Within this sub-sector, major consulting firms have seen a growing demand for technology and cybersecurity expertise, even as conventional work has dipped. Clients have also turned to HR consulting firms for advice to set up effective remote working systems as well as to manage company restructuring, as MOM has noted.

As the sub-sector pivots towards new growth areas, jobseekers should be prepared to hone their skills in emerging technologies such as Cloud technology, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Looking at the salary ranges, non-specialised roles such as management and business consultant roles, which typically require less than five years of work experience, offer between S$3,500 to S$8,500; with candidates with specialised skills possibly commanding higher salaries.

Further, in-demand skills in consultancy include:

priya sep 2020 mom jobs situation report saved consultancy

Lead image and infographics / MOM

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