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Hot hires in 2019: Professionals changing jobs can expect a 7-15% pay rise

SINGAPORE — Professionals can expect an average pay increment of 7 to 15 per cent when switching employers next year, and workers with strong industry expertise and the relevant digital skills will remain highly sought after.

Hot hires in 2019: Professionals changing jobs can expect a 7-15% pay rise
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SINGAPORE — Professionals can expect an average pay increment of 7 to 15 per cent when switching employers next year, and workers with strong industry expertise and the relevant digital skills will remain highly sought after.

This is based on an annual salary survey finding released on Wednesday (Nov 28) by specialist professional recruitment consultancy Robert Walters.

It found that the top roles in demand in 2019 will be analytical and data-driven in nature: Data scientists, cyber security specialists, UX (user experience) designers and heads of digital units.

Key industries that will see strong tech hiring next year are the financial services sector and commerce sectors, including healthcare, media, insurance, logistics and e-commerce.

Those with specialised skill sets in info-technology (IT), digital and financial services can expect their salaries to grow by up to 20 per cent. They include:

  • Tech professionals in the financial services sector, such as cyber security professionals, those with experience in virtualisation, data science and change management, as well as cloud specialists with a good understanding of regulations set by the Monetary Authority of Singapore

  • Sales and marketing professionals with experience in big data, digital, e-commerce and transformation
     

Following close behind will be those in the legal sector with the right skills, who can expect salaries to rise by up to 15 per cent on average.

Robert Walters expects strong demand for legal specialists in the coming year and said that hiring managers will continue to face difficulties finding Singapore-qualified lawyers with international and cross-border expertise in fields such as derivatives, tech law and blockchain.

In the engineering sector, the consultancy expects more jobs to emerge as oil and gas prices recover, and anticipates strong demand for professionals in semiconductor, medical devices, consumer electronics and manufacturing, especially in the research-and-development departments.

Here are some roles (permanent positions) that will see a significant jump in per-annum salary range between this year and next, Robert Walters found:
 

  • Data engineers, whose salary range for 2019 is expected to be S$100,000 to S$250,000 (up from S$84,000 to S$200,000)

  • Data scientists, whose salary range for 2019 is expected to be S$85,000 to S$300,000 (up from S$72,000 to S$250,000)

  • Machine-learning engineers, whose salary range for 2019 is expected to be S$120,000 to S$250,000 (up from S$100,000 to S$220,000)

  • Public relations directors in consumer and technical healthcare, whose salary range for 2019 is expected to be S$180,000 to over S$200,000 (up from S$120,000 to over S$180,000)

  • Corporate affairs managers in financial services, whose salary range for 2019 is S$150,000 to S$250,000 (up from S$120,000 to S$200,000)
     

Mr Rob Bryson, Robert Walters’ managing director for Singapore, had advice for companies looking to hire talent: Consider hiring candidates who may not fulfil all the requirements but demonstrate high potential, as the best candidates look for jobs where they can grow into their roles. Employers who demonstrate they have the right teams and systems in place to support a candidate’s success in a role are also in a better position to secure top talent.

He also said that companies should not keep job applicants and potential candidates waiting too long during the hiring process.

“Streamlining the recruitment process to six to eight weeks is recommended, as a short timeframe ensures candidates remain engaged and committed throughout.”

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