Report: Hiring for marketing and comms professionals surge in Singapore

Overall hiring activity in Singapore has declined by 5% year-on-year, with the index dropping from 116 in September 2023 to 110 in September 2024. Despite the yearly decrease, a month-on-month analysis showed a 7% rise in hiring, with the index at 103 in August 2024. 

This is according to a recent report by foundit titled "foundit Insights Tracker" (FIT) for Singapore. The report highlights growth in the education sector and a surge in demand for marketing and communications professionals. 

"The September 2024 foundit Insights Tracker reveals significant shifts in Singapore's job market. Despite a yearly decline, the recent month-on-month growth is a promising sign of recovery. As businesses adapt to changing market conditions, hiring priorities are evolving. Marketing roles are becoming increasingly important as companies focus on data-driven strategies and personalised customer experiences to boost brand engagement and drive growth," said Sekhar Garisa, CEO, foundit. 

Don't miss: This is how much marketers in SG should be earning in 2024 

Of all the sectors, the education sector leads industry growth, showing a 4% month on month growth in September 2024. This growth is fueled by investments from both the government and private sector. 

This is followed by retail/trade and the logistics sector and then the import/export sector which both showed positive trends with a 3% month on month growth each in September 2024. 

While some sectors showed growth, others faced challenges in the job market. The advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment sector for example saw a marginal decrease of 1% month on month, following a period of higher recruitment activity in August. 

In terms of functional roles, marketing and communications professionals witnessed the highest demand in September 2024, with a 44% year on year growth and 30% month on month increase. 

This trend is attributed to the changing marketing dynamics and a strong focus on omnichannel strategies, significantly boosting demand for roles in content management. 

Conversely, sales and business development roles decreased by 13% month-on-month, aligning with a shift toward digital marketing. The demand for software, hardware, and telecom roles, as well as healthcare roles, also reduced both monthly and annually, placing them at the lower end of the hiring index.

Meanwhile, the purchase/logistics/supply chain roles grew by 29% month-on-month, while finance and accounts and legal roles rose by 11% and 9% respectively.

Other sectors, such as shipping/marine, consumer goods/FMCG, engineering, construction, real estate, and oil and gas, showed no change in hiring activity.

According to a LinkedIn study in March this year titled "Most in-demand marketing skills", it revealed that soft skills are the most sought-after skills by APAC employers in the marketing industry.

In fact, communication is the most in-demand skill across all sectors and it is the second most in-demand skill in marketing in the APAC region and globally.

In fact, the demand for communication skills has exponentially increased year after year, as marketers focus on nurturing customer relationships, building thought leadership, proving ROI, and securing budgets to build memorable brands.

More specifically, strategy, customer relationship management and problem-solving were ranked in positions six, 10 and 18 in APAC, respectively.

As companies are looking for marketers with essential analytical skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving to make smart decisions, the demand suggests that companies are looking to optimise growth with their hires.

Related articles:  
Study: 72% of marketers in SG have exposure to AI, how they can unlock profitable growth  
Study: Soft skills are still highly sought after by marketers despite AI boom  
Marketers, these are 10 trends you need to take note of in 2024