The insights, shared by JobStreet Singapore Managing Director Chew Siew Mee during a fireside chat moderated by e27 Co-Founder and CEO Mohan Belani, also highlighted the importance of providing a positive recruitment experience to candidates.

“Fifty-five per cent of candidates would refuse an attractive job offer due to unpleasant recruitment experiences. Competitive salary remains key, but a positive recruitment experience can’t be underestimated as well,” said Chew.

The report also highlighted factors that could help employers remain competitive, starting with the shift in candidates’ priorities when scanning for new work opportunities.

“Flexible work arrangements can attract two to three times more applicants today,” said Chew. “While financial compensation will continue to become a key factor, candidates are also looking at relationships with future managers.”

Building a relationship with future managers is important for candidates for the purposes of coaching and expectations alignment.

Also Read: Report: Tech jobs return to SEA, open opportunities for tech talents in non-tech industries

These insights were shared at an event to discuss the changing landscape of recruitment and workforce management, focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities in the Singaporean market and the tech sector. It aims to provide company executives, selected HR directors, leaders, professionals and employers in Singapore with insights and strategies to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving startup and corporate tech industry environment.

In addition to discussing the shift in job-seeking priorities, Chew also highlighted the need to reexamine hiring requirements. She said, “In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, the emergence of advanced technologies like ChatGPT has sparked a fundamental shift in hiring requirements. It is now crucial to reassess the skills necessary for successful collaboration with machines and maximising output.”

Managing a high-performance workforce today

Following up the fireside chat was a roundtable discussion attended by human resources professionals from various tech companies in Singapore.

Notable points that the attendees brought up included managing employee performance in a remote working environment and best practices in the hiring process.

Also Read: Keep an open mind, there are many good opportunities out there: Paul Thomas of SEEK Asia

When it comes to a remote work setup, flexibility continues to play an important role, especially in a post-pandemic situation today. However, when it comes to tracking performance and maintaining productivity, most of the attendees opted not to use a performance-tracking tool on their employees. Instead, they feel a greater need to build an environment of trust where team members can feel safe in sharing their concerns and asking questions.

The attendees also recognised the importance of having a strong management process and a clear goal to achieve each day.

“A lot of what I do is educating managers on how you form a relationship and share clarity, build a connection with your teams so that you can hand over a certain amount of trust. It starts with shared clarity and a sense of focus on your team. So you are responsible for what your team comes away with,” one attendee shared.

The roundtable session by e27 and JobStreet also saw a discussion among attendees about the hiring process. Some attendees believe that shorter hiring processes remain key. Some of them are working on aligning with hiring managers and bosses to cut down the number of interviews. This is crucial as the job market becomes more competitive.

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