Classifieds ads tell their own Singapore Story

SINGAPORE - Bicycles, air-conditioners and tablet computers seem to have been the most sought-after items this year, going by ST701's - The Straits Times Online Classifieds section's - Year in Review released yesterday.

Advertisements for these items were the top three viewed for the year, with a total of 9,395 views for bicycle ads.

The number of views for air-conditioner and tablet-computer ads came in at 7,309 and 6,624 respectively.

"In Singapore, where the price of cars keep going up, people are finding different ways of transportation and it seems that people are relying more on bicycles to get to and fro," said STClassifieds' product manager, Mr Xiao Xin.

A spokesman for ST701 added that sales of air-conditioners also went up because it was a perennial favourite among Singaporeans.

As for computer tablets, the gadget has "made its way into most of our users' lifestyles", he said.

On the jobs front, career portal STJobs found that positions in administrative and office services were most sought after, making up 11.7 per cent of vacancies advertised across the various industries. There was also a dire need for customer service officers, with the sector making up 11 per cent of total vacancies advertised.

The IT and telecommunications sector retained its top spot in attracting the highest number of job applications this year (11 per cent). This was followed closely by the building, construction and engineering sector (10 per cent).

For housing, Twentyone Angullia Park topped property portal STProperty's list of Singapore's fanciest and priciest condominiums. Averaging $5,181 per sq ft, the 54-unit condo has yet to be completed but already four units have been sold.

Second on the list is the 40-unit Skyline @ Orchard Boulevard, going at an average of $4,230 per sq ft, followed by the 66-unit The Marq condominium in Paterson Hill which averages $4,046 per sq ft.

Woodlands and Choa Chu Kang emerged as the most affordable HDB estates, averaging $389 per sq ft and $397 per sq ft respectively.

soonws@sph.com.sg

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