Hays Construction
January - March 2012
Hotspots
The construction market in Singapore remains steady with the civil and infrastructure sector displaying more momentum and production than the building sector. The civil works are predominately made up of the MRT underground rail network and road projects.
There are fewer building contracts, mainly made up of hotels and residential property as opposed to commercial or mixed development. As a result we are seeing high demand for experienced Construction Managers, Senior Project Engineers and Construction Planning Engineers to assist with these works. Estimators and Contracts Specialists are also sought.
The coming quarter
The coming quarter brings the early stages of DTL3 as all stations and tunnels have been awarded a mix of mainly Korean and Japanese contractors, in addition to several local and international contractors. The much anticipated Thompson Line is next on the list, together with the Cable Tunnel underground project which has been heavily tendered for.
Employer trends
Employers continue to chase work in surrounding Asia, including Malaysia and Vietnam, with Hong Kong seeing an abundance of work but a shortage of candidates.
Singapore remains the more attractive option due to its location, cleanliness, tax relief and a better standard of living. Not to mention there are sufficient positions available in Singapore and a lack of skilled employees.
Demand for more articulate and educated candidates seems to be the trend with a focus on candidates that can handle multiple roles simultaneously and those who have formal accreditations or associations as there is currently a shortage in Singapore.
Candidate trends
Candidates are still interested to see what other employment options are available to them and are looking for career opportunities, performance recognition and an increase in salary. Given the number of projects which will begin overseas within the local market, candidates are very open to moving overseas, particularly to China and Australia.
