In their latest study What Jobseekers Wish Employers Knew: Unlocking the Future of Recruitment, SEEK–the parent company of JobStreet and JobsDB– revealed that one in three people in Southeast Asia (SEA) and Hong Kong is actively looking for a job, helping 2023 to remain a “jobseekers’ market.”

Held in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites, the study surveyed more than 90,000 respondents in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

It revealed that despite the waves of layoffs by tech companies in the region, opportunities for tech talents in SEA remain abundant. SEEK noted a 29 per cent YOY (2021 vs 2022) increase in job ads for tech roles in the region based on data from Jobstreet and JobsDB.

However, in a press conference in Singapore today, SEEK CEO (Asia) Peter Bithos stressed that these opportunities exist in “different places.”

Responding to a question by e27, he elaborated that up until October last year, there were at least 2,000 tech talents that were laid off in the region. Yet at the same again, the SEEK team counted that there are 9,000 to 10,000 vacancies for tech roles in their platforms.

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“The message is … if you are a tech worker and you have been impacted [by the layoffs], you may not be able to find another tech job at another startup or pure tech company. But there are opportunities in non-tech industries such as healthcare [which had intensified their digitalisation efforts since the pandemic],” he said.

What talents want from potential employers

The study revealed jobseekers’ expectations from their potential employers. Most respondents (71 per cent) in SEA and Hong Kong prioritise stable jobs with good work-life balance in their search, and this preference is dominant across job roles, countries, and age groups.

According to BCG Partner and Associate Director Sagar Goel, people’s expectations towards work have “changed radically” in the past few years.

“Employers must understand that while a high salary may be a way to raise the attention of in-demand talent, money is not enough to retain them in the long run. A culture that supports work-life balance, allows for flexibility, and emphasises good workplace relationships is equally important,” he said.

Interestingly, the study also discovered that the use of advanced digital tools in the recruitment process is “not favoured” amongst the younger generations.

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“Many prefer to see personal interactions during the recruitment process, with only 24 per cent stating that they would be comfortable participating in an AI-led interview,” it stated.”

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