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Vaccination requirements a new hiring trend in Singapore as activity picks up

Vaccination requirements a new hiring trend in Singapore as activity picks up

While just one in 17,000 postings on 31 July 2021 required candidates to be vaccinated, these figures increased to one in 900 by end-September.

A recent increase in hiring activity in Singapore has brought forth a new hiring trend - vaccination requirements. 

According to data by Indeed, shared in a press release, on 30 September 2021, the share of job postings requiring vaccination was 19 times higher than it was two months earlier. In particular, while just one in 17,000 postings on 31 July 2021 required candidates to be vaccinated, these figures had increased to one in 900 by end-September.

indeed chart 3

Callam Pickering, Indeed’s APAC Economist, remarks: “Greater vaccination requirements is a global hiring trend that we have seen across a range of countries. Singapore’s vaccination requirements are relatively low by global standards but are growing rapidly. This indicates strong support for the government’s push for higher vaccination levels amongst the populace in order to return to endemic levels.

"This is also reflective of the general business confidence in the republic with hiring on the rise despite the drastic increase in COVID-19 cases in the past few months."

Apart from the above, the data also found that hiring activity in Singapore reached a new high in September, exceeding pre-COVID levels since October 2020. As at 30 September 2021, postings on the site rose 68% from their level in February 2020, in comparison to the 56% the previous month. 

Additionally, job postings in every occupation have also surpassed its pre-COVID levels. Particularly, production roles faced the highest increase in postings from February 2020 at 132%, followed by installation & maintenance (+99%), transportation (+96%), and food preparation (+93%). Hiring in the tech, engineering, and education sectors also were noted to be well above the overall rate of hiring. 

thumb indeed chart 2

On the other hand, the social science & law, community and customer and personal service experienced slower recovery in job postings, the data highlighted.

Note: All figures outside of the analysis of remote jobs, are the percentage change in seasonally-adjusted job postings since 1 February 2020, using a seven-day trailing average. 1 February 2020 is the pre-pandemic baseline cited by Indeed. Indeed seasonally adjusts each series based on historical patterns in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Each series, including the national trend and occupational sectors, is seasonally adjusted separately. 

ALSO READ: MOH urges Singapore employers not on mandatory testing regime to nonetheless carry out regular testing


Lead Image and Charts / Indeed

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