SINGAPORE — Job vacancies across various industries in Singapore have declined over the past year, while technology talents continue to be highly sought after despite the recent high-profile layoffs by tech companies.

This is according to the annual Job Vacancies 2022 report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (March 30), which said that technology talents such as software, web and multimedia developers as well as software and applications managers continue to be in high demand as companies digitalise.

Tech talents are in demand not only within the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, but in other fields as well, such as in professional services and financial services, said Mr Ang Boon Heng, director of manpower research and statistics at MOM.

"There are ICT jobs in other sectors also... We cannot just concentrate on the ICT sector alone, and say that people are being retrenched there and hence there's a big issue," he said during a media briefing on the report.

The report also said that e1mployers across various industries have had less difficulty in filling vacancies for different roles, with the proportion of vacancies unfilled for at least six months declining to 27 per cent in 2022, down from 35 per cent in 2021.

"As border restrictions were lifted... it became easier for employers to backfill positions vacated by non-residents during the height of the pandemic," it said. 

JOB VACANCIES ON THE DECLINE 

The number of job vacancies have been on the decline for three consecutive quarters. 

Job vacancies fell from 123,800 in June 2022 to 106,000 in September and then to 104,500 in December. 

But MOM noted that the numbers "remained elevated" compared to pre-pandemic times — there were 51,100 job vacancies in December 2019. 

The proportion of job vacancies unfilled for six months or more fell from 35 per cent in 2021 to 27 per cent in 2022 as a result of the active backfilling of non-professional, manager, executive and technician (non-PMET) roles, such as those in manufacturing and construction, after the border restrictions were lifted. 

"The tight labour market also spurred employers to raise wages to improve the attractiveness of some of the jobs on offer, leading to an increase in job take-up rates," the report said. 

PMET ROLES MAKE UP MAJORITY OF VACANCIES 

The proportion of PMET vacancies increased from 53 per cent of all vacancies in 2021 to 56 per cent in 2022. 

Conversely, the number of non-PMET roles fell from 47 per cent of all vacancies in 2021 to 44 per cent in 2022. 

This is a continuation of a broad trend observed even before the pandemic, said the report, noting that in 2012, PMET roles comprised 40.2 per cent of all vacancies, while non-PMET roles comprised 59.8 per cent. 

The proportion of vacant PMET roles has been increasing over the last decade, while the reverse has happened for non-PMET roles. 

The report also cited the top 10 PMET job vacancies in 2022: 

1. Management executive 
2. Software, web and multimedia developer 
3. Commercial and marketing sales executive 
4. Teaching and training professional
5. Administration manager 
6. Software and applications manager
7. Registered nurse and other nursing professional 
8. Systems analyst 
9. Business development manager
10. Mechanical engineer 

HIRING DECISIONS NOT SOLELY BASED ON ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS 

For 74 per cent of vacancies in 2022, academic qualifications were not the main determinant for hiring. 

This is an increase from 67 per cent in 2017, and this increase in driven by PMET jobs, said the report.

For PMET vacancies where academic qualifications were not the main determinant, the skills and work attitude of the job applicant were the key considerations, the report stated.

"As long as candidates possess the minimum required qualification, their skills and work attitude will take precedent when assessing their suitability for jobs," said the report. 

"Hence, having a higher qualification does not mean a candidate is automatically ranked ahead of their counterpart with a lower qualification." 

As for non-PMET roles, academic qualifications were also not the main consideration. 

"Instead, relevant work experience and skills were more crucial to employers when recruiting for non-PMET vacancies," said MOM in the report.