SINGAPORE: Singapore's labour market continued to firm in the third quarter, with the number of job advertisements rising in the July to September period.

A survey by recruitment consultant Robert Walters found that some 200,500 job ads were placed out in the third quarter – a 13.3 per cent rise compared to the previous quarter.

Retail, sales and business development positions registered the most number of openings, with more than 34,000 job ads placed. Engineering and finance sectors also saw a sizeable number of recruitments.

Robert Walters said on Monday that financial institutions here are now enjoying improved trading conditions, which is creating demand for more support.

It added that several new major retail and leisure developments have been completed, hence the need for suitable manpower in that sector.

Beyond Singapore, Robert Walters said its Asia Job Index showed that the total number of ads placed in the third quarter increased 21.6 per cent on-quarter.

It noted that the main driver of growth was China, which saw an increase of 22.6 per cent in number of job ads placed. The increase is said to be driven by an uplift in activity across a range of sectors, led principally by retail.

The Asia Job Index tracks advertisement volumes for professional positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan.


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