WeAreAspire’s Post

"How’s the job market in APAC?" is something I get asked on a daily basis. Fair enough! So I wanted to share some of the current trends for candidates and clients I am noticing, which may resonate 💡 Bit of a brain dump but here goes...   ❇ There’s a definite uplift in job opportunities in Q3, vs Q2 (hooray!). It is still competitive for candidates to secure their dream roles, and employers to secure the best talent, but there is certainly more appetite to hire than we’ve seen in the last 18 months. ❇ Interview processes have been extra-long in July & August, due to summer holidays & breaks. Patience has been required! ❇ Budgets are still tight when it comes to recruitment. Try not to think that companies are hiding significant amounts of money to not offer more on a salary. Working with a Recruiter should offer you transparency on salaries from the get go. ❇ Agency folk have had a tough time this year with stability – there’s been a lot of change and challenge to secure interviews without elongated processes or processes put on hold. Hiring is picking up there now 🤞 ❇ “Easy Apply” on Linkedin is not securing candidates many interviews. In fact, job postings are being lost as there are too many for candidates to apply to. This had led to more frustration for candidates, clients and recruiters. ❇ The changes in EP / S Pass Application requirements in Singapore has been a learning process for everyone and in some cases have slowed down hiring processes but is now becoming easier to understand. ❇ There’s been some exciting new businesses launch in Singapore recently across multiple industries including Fin Tech, Events, Media & Mar Tech, which is great to see! ❇ Candidates have taken a hit on their bonuses this year due to the market recovery. In the meantime, stability remains important. ❇ Hybrid working is still a thing and important to candidates, but performance matters more. Focus on the performance and the hybrid working shouldn’t come in to question. ❇ Your brand and your culture matters. Invest in retaining good talent as they are not easy to replace if you want someone to hit the ground running Processes can take 6 months+ for senior level roles. ❇ Hard work is required in a tough market to be successful. No one's job is "easy" right now and for the same results or less, employees are working harder than ever before.   Overall, it’s a sunnier time for job seekers generally, but is still tough for many individuals who are actively searching for a new role. Please hang in there and be empathetic to those who need support. Lastly, try not to be disheartened when you don’t hear back from a hiring manager or recruiter straight away. It is always worth following up in case your call / msg / email has been missed. We are sometimes inundated with applications and things do get missed. Persistence is key!   Laura Denholm Fabian Wu Trevor Roy Gabriel Terry Payne