Singapore's IT sector still facing a talent shortage

Singapore’s IT sector is facing a talent shortage and a large number of roles are being filled by foreign or imported talent.

Apart from “in- demand” technically skills such as web/mobile based technologies, cloud computing and virtualization, organizations are also increasingly looking for a combination of IT skills and strong industry specific business appreciation and knowledge. Skills such as project management, architecture, risk management, and development and support (cross-platform/technology) are generally highly sought after by employers.

According to Brian Richards, Head of Kelly IT Resources, techno-functional roles that require business acumen along with technical expertise, as well as cross-technology roles that require expertise in a number of technologies, tend to be more attractive to potential candidates rather than pure vanilla technology roles that require only specific technical skills.

Richards notes that organizations preferred by job hunters tend to be banks, consulting companies and organizations (especially with Gen Y) that tend to be (or are at least be perceived as) more fun, creative, dynamic, flexible and technologically savvy/advanced and fast growing such as Google, Yahoo, and Apple.

“From our data, in general, 78% of Gen X and 70% of Gen Y are willing to spend their own money on training to upgrade their skills,” said Richards.

Personal Branding

A growing number of Singapore’s employees are developing their own personal “brands” as part of a trend toward taking greater control over their careers, including steps to help differentiate themselves in a fast-changing workplace, according to the latest survey results from workforce solutions leader Kelly Services.

The findings are part of the Kelly Global Workforce Index, which obtained the views of approximately 134,000 people in 29 countries, including more than 2,700 in Singapore.

Personal marketing, or branding, has become a feature of the modern workplace, with respondents identifying the elements they regard as most important in building their identities - verbal communication skills (66%), résumés (60%), technical knowledge (60%), written communications (55%), personal attire (52%), and use of social media (35%).

“As many individuals are moving out of the typical employment relationship, they are thinking about how to promote themselves and stand-out in the crowded workforce,” said Mark Sparrow, Managing Director, Kelly Services Singapore. “There is also a high degree of awareness about the pace of change in the workplace and the ability to manage this change.”

The research also shows almost three-quarters of respondents are prepared to spend their own money on upgrading their skills - not waiting on their employer to do it for them - while a similar number believe they will change their career and re-invent themselves in the future.

In Singapore, 78% of Gen X are prepared to spend their own money on training to upgrade their skills, higher than for Gen Y (70%) and baby boomers (68%). More than half (70%) of Gen X cite verbal communication skills among the most important elements in personal branding, compared with Gen Y (65%) and baby boomers (59%).

Extracted From: http://www.networksasia.net/content/singapores-it-sector-still-facing-talent-shortage