Hays Sales & Marketing
January - March 2012
Hotspots
Sales and Business Development Managers are in high demand across industries, as a top-line measure against the weakening economy.
Domestic consumer demand in Asia should remain relatively resilient to the impact of the events in Europe. Singapore, being the preferred regional hub due to location, lifestyle and tax reasons, is likely to benefit disproportionately from this as more headcount gets transferred here in a bid to leverage on the growth. As such, candidates with regional experience are of strong value, with the increased emergence of South-East Asia roles based in Singapore.
Additionally, there has been an increased demand for digital and social media specialists, with companies shifting their budgets away from traditional media. This move allows companies to penetrate deeper and wider in the market and also engage on a more personal level with consumers.
The coming quarter
Career opportunities for sales and marketing professionals in Asia remains optimistic in spite of the European debt crisis and its implications on economic performance across the world. As austerity measures and caution grips and lowers consumption in the developed economies of Europe and North America, this will be significantly offset by changes in global trade patterns with the rise of new trading corridors intra-Asia as well as between Asia and other developing economies.
Employer trends
With profit and revenue pressures high in light of the economy, employers have a preference for candidates to closely match the role requirements. That said, many are still open to high potential candidates with a track record of market success, especially for strategic regional roles.
Candidate trends
Candidates are taking a more cautious approach in their job search, preferring to weigh up their options between career development and salary expectations. Hence, we see a preference towards global multinationals providing strong career development as a choice over pure salary increments. More foreign candidates are also attracted to Singapore as a booming economy, and this will definitely allow the candidate market to be a more vibrant environment.
