BLOGStreet, from JobStreet.com

JECI poll, Sep 2009

This is the summary of job seekers' confidence in the job market in this region in Sep 2009:

• In Malaysia, the upward trend in the JobStreet ECI was checked as it dipped slightly from 50.2 points in August to 48.7 points in September. However, we do not consider this to be any cause for concern for the moment as the general trend shown since February this year has been a steady growth.
• The JobStreet ECI for Singapore, which had been relatively stable in the past three months, improved by 1.3 point to 44.6 in September as job seekes continued to show increase confidence in the Singaporean job market.
• Growth in the JobStreet ECI for the Philippines remained unchanged where the September index ended at 56.7 points which was a wee bit lower than the 56.9 points of the previous month.
• In Indonesia, the JobStreet ECI also took a short breather as it trended slightly lower by 0.6 points from August to end the month at 52.2 points. 
• The India JobStreet ECI was stable with their index increasing slightly to 57.7 points in September, up by 0.5 points from the August index level.

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The JobStreet.com Employment Confidence Index (ECI) is a measure of job seeker confidence in finding a job in the countries where we hold our monthly polls.

Wanted: well-rounded candidates with leadership skills

As the labour market tightens, organisations worldwide are strengthening their employer value propositions to appeal to young talents, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU in The New Straits Times this week.

She quoted British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad (BAT) human resources director Cheryl Wong as saying: "In the spirit of diversity, BAT prefers hiring a mix of foreign and locally trained Malaysians. We believe that diversity brings better solutions, which translate into better business sense. People with different experience will bring something unique to the table."

She comes across impressive local graduates among the shortlisted candidates. However, she admitted that they were getting harder to find. "We want well-rounded candidates who possess the leadership skills we look for, as well as good academic qualifications and effective communication skills. Being a multinational company, we do need people who communicate well in English," says Wong.

She feels it is a shame when some local candidates show "impressive track record in academic and extra-curricular activties but cannot express themselves well."

Wong is not the only employer faced with the challenge of finding suitable candidates. Despite the global recession and the weakest employment outlook in decades, employers worldwide are still finding it difficult to hire young people to fill positions which require critical skills such as leadership, teamwork and problem-solving.

The newspaper article quoted the United Nations as stating that "one of the top three socio-economic issues facing the planet is the lack of talent despite population increases,"  underlining the worry that talent shortage is indeed a global concern.

In the United States, human resource experts predict a critical skills gap in organisations in the next five years. Possibly by 2014, there would be a 30 per cent decline in young workers entering the workforce and a 50 per cent growth in retirement of skilled knowledge workers. Their concern was that as the situation grew more serious, it could threaten "the engines of world economic growth and prosperity." Governments globally are taking measures to mitigate the impending shortage such as improving educational and vocational training provisions, adopting strategic migration policies and encouraging experienced older workers to remain in employment.

JECI poll, Aug 2009

Confidence in the job market in this region continues to improve in Aug 2009.

• In Malaysia, the JobStreet ECI trended higher for the sixth consecutive month by improving to 50.2 points, an increase of 0.5 point over the July index of 49.7 points. Since February this year, the JobStreet ECI for Malaysia has gone up by 7.1 points.
• The JobStreet ECI for Singapore has been relatively stable in the past three months, remaining almost unchanged since June when it registered at 43.5 points. In July, the index was at 43.4 while the August index for Singapore settled at 43.3 points.
• Stability is also observed in the JobStreet ECI for the Philippines where the August index ended at 56.9 points. In July, the index was at 57.0 points, which was a small drop of 0.1 point from the previous month.
• There seemed to be a lot of confidence in job market for Indonesia as their JobStreet ECI continued to move up in recent months. For August, their index rose by a further 0.8 point to 52.8 from the July index of 52.0 points.
• However in India, we noted a slight softening in their employment confidence for the second consecutive month. For August, the JobStreet ECI declined slightly to 57.2 points, which was a drop of 0.3 point from the 57.5 registered in July. In June, their index level was at 57.9 points.

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The JobStreet.com Employment Confidence Index (ECI) is a measure of job seeker confidence in finding a job in the countries where we hold our monthly polls.

Common questions for the influenza A(H1N1)

How have you been reacting to the spread of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus? It is quite clear that as the number of infections spiral all over the world and in tandem with that, the number of deaths, so too has the level of concern among the general public.

A(H1N1) is still largely untreatable as there's still no vaccine. The common seasonal flu vaccine may or may not help people against the A(H1N1). China, however, seemed to have reported a few days ago that they have developed a vaccine but it still remains untested and there are doubts about its widespread availability.

Here are some common questions and answers that we have heard lately. Thought that we'd share it with you:

What are the symptoms of the influenza A(H1N1)?
The symptoms are similar to those of regular flu:

• Fever
• Lethargy
• Runny nose
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Lack of appetite
• Vomiting and diarrhoea in some cases.

Are you a contact?
You can contract the influenza A (H1N1) virus by being in close contact with an infected person or if you are caring for someone with the virus.

What should you do if you or your child is a contact?

1. You are not required to quarantine yourself.
2. Avoid close contact with the person who is ill.
3. Refrain your child from playing with others.
4. Monitor your health closely for at least seven days, especially if you or your child belong to the high risk groups below:

• Children below five years of age;
• Pregnant women;
• Have underlying medical conditions such as asthma, chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease
• On dialysis
• On immunosuppressants
• Undergoing cancer treatment
• On long term aspirin therapy
• Persons aged 65 years or older

How long is someone with the A(H1N1) flu considered contagious?
People with the A (H1N1) influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic; possibly for up to seven days following the onset of the illness. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What can I do to protect myself from the A (H1N1) flu?

• There is no vaccine available right now to protect against the A (H1N1) flu. However, you can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:
• Covering your nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or handkerchief when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the waste basket after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also helpful
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. - If you get sick with influenza, stay at home and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Consult your nearest healthcare facility if you think you have any of the symptoms.

JobStreet.com’s collaboration with BFM thus far…

In collaboration with BFM 89.9, we have featured some of today’s biggest companies on Klang Valley's most exciting radio dial – from strategies for effective employer branding with McDonalds to discussing about the challenges and issues surrounding hiring fresh graduates.

More than just a glimpse into human resource management for practitioners, our work with the radio station provides insights into the workings of each institution and their hiring practices.

For one, job seekers get a picture of the hiring practices by each individual company, crucial for those keen on knowing some of the interview processes employed. A few of the topics also cover the hiring trends under the current economic climate where some are hiring and some are freezing. From F&B to finance and land development, get yourself a better understanding of the needs and requirements of each individual industry from the big players themselves. Spend some time and listen to some of the past few interviews here!

We now have our very own Podcasts!

Here at JobStreet.com we have launched our very own podcast series to make it more convenient for you to listen to them while you are on the go! Just click on either one of them to listen or download:

• Job Fairs - How to Prepare for Them
• First Employment by Jobseekers
• How to Job Hunt with Least Effort
• Six Job Search No-Nos
• Social Networking Sites - A Boon or Bane to Jobseekers?
• Interview Series: Online Recruitment

What makes you more employable?

Two recent overseas surveys posed questions to employers to find out what they want from their graduate recruits. The consensus is that employers want intelligent and enthusiastic individuals who can organise and plan their work and interact with others effectively. Some of these skills are already honed in the university or college, but others will need to be developed outside your studies. Your applications will be more convincing if you can point to a range of situations in which you developed the skills the employers seek and make yourself more employable. Here then are the highlights of the surveys.

University of Central England’s Employer Satisfaction survey
Recruiters were asked to rank 60 skills in order of importance. The top 12 listed as most important were:

    * Willingness to learn
    * Commitment
    * Dependability/reliability
    * Self-motivation
    * Team work
    * Communication skills (oral)
    * Co-operation
    * Communication skills (written)
    * Drive/energy
    * Self-management
    * Desire to achieve/motivation
    * Problem-solving ability

Yet another research gave the picture of a complete graduate as requiring another set of skills which are rather similar to the UCE survey.

Read more here!

Be prepared for some hard work

Joblessness is not a new phenomenon and especially, during the economic downturn, the search for a job can be long and difficult. However, opportunities still abound and job seekers, especially new graduates who are passing out from universities this year, should be heartened by this short message of advice from Steven who faced similar challenges of unemployment as a new graduate about 15 years ago. Here is his story:

"I graduated with a degree in Hotel Management in the early 1990s. For a long time, I went jobless and could not even find work as a waiter in a hotel. I was told that I was over-qualified for the job and the hotel was certain that I would not stay long on the job. Also, I couldn't find a more senior position because I did not have the experience.

"I faced this dilemma for almost a year until I met a very understanding Human Resource manager who gave me a chance. The job I got was a very junior position in the front office department. But now, after 14 years in the industry, I am holding a senior executive position at a five-star hotel and have a comfortable salary. Luck played a big part in my getting my first job but I can tell you that it has been full of hard work and long hours ever since then.

"To address the unemployment problem among new job seekers, both employers and graduates need to compromise on matters. Employers must give opportunities to new graduates to learn about the job. Likewise, new graduates must learn to accept lower positions and get the necessary experience.

"My advice to new graduates is that they should be prepared to work hard and not expect jobs and money to come automatically with a degree. Graduates should not be choosy when job hunting but use job hunting as a learning experience to equip themselves for future advancement."

Pace of hiring indicates positivity on the way

The speed of the recruitment process is starting to once again increase, although most employers remain uncommitted to exactly when overall recruitment activity will resume, says specialist recruiter Hays.

“Sentiment seems to be improving slightly in the labour market, with a stabilising effect bringing some positivity to hiring plans,” said Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore.

“While recruitment freezes are still in place in many businesses, a small improvement in the general outlook and new financial year budgets are allowing some recruitment to take place. Most employers are watching and waiting, but those few that are recruiting are doing so in a speedier manner than we’ve seen in recent months.

“Certainly employers remain cautious, but with the gentle increase in recruitment momentum and market stability, HR and line managers are considering their recruitment processes, which became drawn-out over recent months. They plan to start to quicken the process to secure the best candidates from the generous options available. 

“But while the speed of the recruitment process is starting to improve, companies will still approach their recruitment with prudence. The past year has made them far more cautious, so job seekers should still expect a very thorough screening and interview process,” advised Chris.

Employers are hiring – you just need to know where

The roller-coaster employment ride of the past year appears to be reaching more stable ground, with recruitment activity starting to rise and businesses recommencing – albeit with caution – their hiring plans, says a leading recruiter.

In its latest Hays Quarterly Report, recruiter Hays says employers have started to take a more positive approach towards their staffing needs. “Employers are approaching their recruitment with patient positivity,” said Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore.

“Despite the economic downturn, stability is gradually returning to the market as companies plan for their future. They are now thinking about expansion and growth again. For example, we have witnessed a moderate increase in hiring activity at selected banks and in specific areas, which we expect to continue this quarter.  The construction sector has also become far more positive, with demand for staff driven predominantly by infrastructure work. Contract recruitment is expected to continue to increase this quarter as companies realise it offers a viable solution to headcount freezes. A temporary assignment can be extended, or converted to a permanent position once headcount approval is achieved. This measured increase of hiring activity will continue until quarter four, when a stronger injection of vacancies is expected,” said Chris.

Employers are most commonly hiring at present in the following areas:

• Cost accountants and costing managers: “Many companies seek to improve efficiency and the quality of financial reporting, and so require these specialist roles, but there are very few of these candidates currently available in Singapore.  Financial controllers and finance managers with experience in management reporting are also in demand.”
• Audit, compliance and controls within banking: “Increasing regulatory controls, a greater focus on valuations and the review of complex transactions has created this need. Market risk and project (migration and integration) candidates are also sought by banking employers.”
• Rail: “Demand continues within the construction sector for candidates with specialist experience on rail-related projects. This demand ranges from engineering to onsite construction professionals.”
• HR Executives and HR VPs and Directors: “These candidates are sought by the public sector, while the commercial sector is also refilling business critical HR positions, most commonly multi-skilled generalists and compensation and benefits experts.”
• Information Technology: “.NET, C# project managers, network operations managers and Siebel CRM candidates are in demand at present, and those with banking and telecoms industry experience are viewed particularly highly. Network operation engineers with experience in MPLS networks and TCP/IP are also sought.”
• Developers: “Risk projects are creating a need for hands-on development staff with hybrid business skills.”
• Sales professionals: “Those sales candidates with a very strong customer focus and an excellent record of delivery remain in high demand.  The IT, oil & gas and FMCG industries in particular are recruiting these skills.”
• Oil & gas professionals: “The project development space is starting to return in Asia and this is reflected in an upturn in demand for EPCM staff. A number of offshore construction projects have created a need for temporary staff. Business development specialists are also required to generate sales and strengthen relationships.”

PitchYourTalent reaches 20,000 sign-ups

Since the launch of PitchYourTalent.com earlier this year, more than 20,000 people have pitched their talents on the website. There have also been over 190,000 searches and over 30,000 contacts made by hiring managers, recruitment firms and potential business partners.

Here are comments received from some of those who signed up: "I have used many online job boards over the years but I've just registered at PitchYourTalent and already there’s an employer who contacted me! I definitely recommend this service – in fact I have emailed a couple of my friends about your site." – Bobby Geh. "I personally feel that PitchYourTalent is an amazing platform for employers like me. I was surprised to learn that PitchYourTalent is only two months old where I thought it was longer than that due to the large pool of people I can search and contact. "I find the candidates in PitchYourTalent are relevant and they are more of quality, not only in skills but professionalism. I was even able to find niche skill sets like fire-fighting!! The turn-up rate for interviews is better than any newspaper or online job portal. I was finally able to secure a candidate for my project manager position which I have been searching for a very long time." – Annie, HR "This is the first job portal which gives the clear picture of a candidate for the employers to go about. I have liked it and I will also recommend it to others. Good Luck and keep it up. " – Mahesh, Job seeker

What makes PitchYourTalent.com different from other job hunting methods? Check it out below: