Sales and marketing candidates the most sought after in 2015

Among the job applicant pool, candidates in sales and marketing are the most sought after in 2015, followed by those with expertise in human resources and engineering, a recent study by JobStreet.com revealed.This is despite a conservative outlook on the job market in 2015, with 82% of candidates surveyed expressing conservative expectations. However, a majority (80%) are still considering switching jobs over the course of the year.With regards to salary expectations, candidates who anticipated bigger salary growth (58%) attributed the main reason to having fulfilled management’s expectations in terms of their work, while candidates who expected lesser salary growth believed the main reason to be lower business profits.However, most Singaporeans’ employment and salary expectations are aligned with that of employers, with 86% of employers expected to offer a salary increment to their employees.The study also revealed candidates in managerial roles take a more ambitious approach towards job search, as compared with executives. For executives, salary is the main catalyst for a job switch. Managers, on the other hand, look for job opportunities that provide greater autonomy in decision-making and respond only to compelling offers.According to Jobstreet.com, employers who took part in the survey revealed the primary reason for hiring in 2015 would be to replace for staff attrition rather than expansion.Due to the tight employment market in Singapore, 89% of employers expect bonus growth to either decrease or be maintained, since bonuses are no longer a major pull in retaining employees, citing other reasons for an employee’s departure from a company.One employer said: “The average turnover rate of a candidate is between two and three years. Candidates tend to leave for perceived ‘greener pastures’ after this duration, believing there is better out there and some are even looking at venturing into something new.”A total of 311 Singaporean employees and 100 employers took part in this survey by JobStreet.com in December 2014.