Singaporean CIOs incressingly turning to contract IT workers

Singapore, 21 November
2017 –
The future is bright for Singaporean IT workers looking to benefit from the
flexibility that contract work can bring to professionals in the workplace. New
independent research commissioned by specialised recruiter Robert Half shows
the majority (94%) of Singaporean CIOs are planning to increase their contract
IT headcount by an average of 17% over the next 12 months, highlighting
potential new employment possibilities for contract IT professionals in
Singapore.

The functional areas
where contract IT workers are most in demand are IT security and database
management (44%), software/application development (32%), technical support and
operations (24%) and business analysis (23%).

Matthieu
Imbert-Bouchard, Managing
Director at Robert Half Singapore said: “The dynamic of the
Asian workplace is changing. Singaporean IT leaders are increasingly realising
the benefits of flexible staffing. By balancing staff headcount with a dynamic
mix of permanent and temporary IT professionals, companies cannot only maintain
business continuity and manage new projects, this approach is also beneficial
to optimise cost efficiencies and fill essential skills gaps as it gives
employers access to a much larger pool of IT talent.”

The increased
flexibility offered by hiring temporary professionals without putting pressure
on staff headcount is the primary driver for more than half (57%) of CIOs who
are adding to their temporary staff headcount, closely followed by challenges
relating to sourcing candidates with the required IT skillsets on a permanent
basis (56%). Another prime motivator is cost-efficiency (49%) – indicating
financial motivators are a key incentive behind hiring temporary staff. More
than one in three (37%) say the hiring process of contract workers is faster,
and 24% refer to a lack of financial resources to hire permanent employees as
being a main driver for hiring more temporary IT staff.

“Despite the changing
face of the modern workplace, some IT professionals may be hesitant in
accepting contract work due to perceived uncertainties in relation to job
security. Yet the benefits of temporary work often outweigh any potential
downfalls, as many employers use temporary contracts as a way of trialling
workers before offering permanent employment. Furthermore, contract workers not
only enjoy more flexibility in their career, they generally also work for many
different organisations, thereby gaining a broad portfolio of experience and
skills as they expose themselves to multiple projects and job functions,” concluded Matthieu
Imbert-Bouchard.  

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The
annual study is developed by Robert Half and conducted in June-July 2017 by an
independent research company, surveying 75 CIOs/CTOs in Singapore. This survey
is part of the international workplace survey, a questionnaire about job
trends, talent management and trends in the workplace.

Robert
Half is the world’s first and largest specialised recruitment consultancy.
Founded in 1948, the company has over 325 offices worldwide providing interim
management, temporary and permanent recruitment solutions for accounting and
finance, financial services and technology professionals in Singapore. More
information on roberthalf.com.sg.