The latest report released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Tuesday (March 19) showed that more Singaporean employers are seeking more than academic qualifications from their new hires.

Among the key findings of the study suggested that the proportion of openings for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET), where academic qualifications was not a main consideration, rose to 52 percent last year from 42 percent in 2017. Instead of academic titles, business leaders placed stronger emphasis on skills or relevant working experience for these positions, which included software, web and multimedia developers, systems analysts, and commercial and marketing sales executives.

Mr David Ang, director of corporate services at Human Capital Singapore, shared similar thought that many individuals applying for PMET roles might have good qualifications but have done well in their careers and have good track records and experiences to show to their prospective employers. He also noted that the pool of workers with varied skills was increasing in today’s economy.

“The proportion of PMETs who are affected by globalisation and disruption is going to increase. The PMETs switching or displaced in jobs are getting younger with many in their 40s. With more of this group of people available out there, employers will also look at their skills and experience,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ms Karen Blal, regional director of CIPD Asia, a professional body for human resource and people development, said that it was practical for employers to look beyond academic qualifications.

“This is a trend that’s emerging all over the world. The reason is that academic qualifications test knowledge but they don’t test skill and ability. Employers are increasingly looking for people with a broader range of skills,” she said.

Overall, almost half (42 percent) of the 63,300 vacancies last year were newly created positions formed as a result of business formation and expansion. There were more vacancies for PMET roles and these were commonly in the education, finance, and information and communications sector. The report showed the highest number of PMET vacancies were in the teaching and training professions, Today Online reports.

As more firms integrated technology into their work processes, job opportunities related to technology development and implementation were also going up. In a continuing trend from 2017, software, web and multimedia developers ranked among the top PMET jobs with the highest number of vacancies last year.

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