More roles remain unfilled as Singapore grapples with tech talent crunch: report

Employers also expressed budgeting and ROI concerns when hiring tech talent.

Singapore’s tech market is experiencing a talent shortage as available roles are outnumbered by qualified candidates, Hays reported.

Employers are also taking longer to fill positions due to budgeting and ROI concerns, as well as having more candidate options available.

Meanwhile, the top data roles in Singapore include data scientist, machine learning engineer, and data engineer. With few candidates skilled in these areas, companies are willing to train aspiring talent to meet their goals.

When it comes to attracting talent, only 28% of respondents in Singapore rated their ability to attract talent positively (39%, global). 

In addition, 35% of professionals had not been offered a salary increase in 2023 (44%, global) and 89% of professionals were ‘Extremely’, ‘Very’, or ‘Moderately’ concerned about cyber security budgets in 2024 (72%, global).

For business leaders, Hays suggests planning for the long term to identify company needs, recalibrating roles within its employee base, focusing on training, and engaging passive talent.

For professionals, Hays advises upskilling and being open to more opportunities that may come.