THE number of job advertisements placed in Singapore for professionals rose 13.3 per cent in the third quarter of this year from Q2, according to The Robert Walters Asia Job Index.

Climbs were also seen in other major Asian economies. The index, which tracks ads for professional positions across job boards and national newspapers in Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Japan, found that the number of job ads placed in Q3 across the four economies rose 21.6 per cent from Q2. The main driver was China, with a 22.6 per cent increase.

Within the quarter - from July to September - the number of job ads also rose, by 28.3 per cent. In Singapore, the number rose 8.8 per cent over the three months.

In Singapore, banks and other financial organisations are enjoying better trading conditions, and this is creating demand for more support. From July to September, demand for administrative, clerical and secretarial staff shot up, as did demand for customer service and account servicing staff.

Retail, purchasing and logistics also saw strong increases. Several new major retail and leisure developments have been completed, with a need for staff.

As Singapore is also a major port and there was some evidence of increased shipping activity in Q3, there is also a staffing requirement in this area.

'In contrast with Hong Kong, Singapore has been less volatile,' said Andrea Ross, managing director of Robert Walters Singapore. 'This is reflected in the slightly different approach to recruiting that we find here. There has been evidence of more confidence, but it is underpinned by a longer-term objective to build an infrastructure that is less dominated by financial services. The overall increase in advertising in other areas reflects this diversity.'

This article was first published in The Business Times.