Disconnect Between Jobseekers’ Preferences and Employers’ Remote Work Offerings
SINGAPORE: Many Singaporean jobseekers continue to prioritize remote work options, even as employers offer fewer such roles. According to data from employment website Indeed, only 6.6 percent of job listings in May included “work from home” or “remote work,” a decrease from the surge seen in late 2021. However, remote work remains a popular search term, with one in every 28 job searches reflecting this preference.
“Jobseekers continue to value the flexibility offered by remote work,” said Callam Pickering, APAC Senior Economist at Indeed. He noted that this disconnect may impact employers’ ability to attract candidates in the future.
The decline in remote roles aligns with a drop in overall job postings in Singapore, which have decreased for seven consecutive months, marking a 16.5 percent decline from the previous year. Despite this, job postings are still 1.7 times higher than pre-pandemic levels. Singapore’s labour market remains tight with low unemployment, but a global economic slowdown may further affect job availability and raise the unemployment rate, which is currently at 1.8 percent.
