How to hire Tech Talents in Singapore? (Updated in 2022)

TDLR: It is difficult to hire tech talents in Singapore. With soaring high salary costs and inflationary pressures, hiring tech software developers, engineers and programmers can be costly.

That said, Singapore’s technology sector remains a bright point in its economy.

Today, Singapore is home to about 80% of the world’s top 100 IT corporations, with 261 software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprises.

Consequentially, there is an insatiable hunger for more tech developers to power the systems and technologies of these IT companies.

Tech talents are in great and high demand in Singapore. Yet, this demand is not exclusive to Singapore.

According to Microsoft, by 2025, the planet will have 149 million new tech-related occupations, which further signifies that the demand for tech talents and software engineers will only seem to grow even more.

Recent reports by Facebook to hire 10,000 people in Europe, and Amazon to hire more than 55,000 people for jobs won’t be music to the ears of hiring managers all around the world.

The demand-supply gap for skilled tech talents and software engineers is expected to widen even further than in recent years, making it difficult to find, source, and hire tech employees.

Are you an information technology recruiter, tech founder, or talent acquisition executive looking to hire strong tech talents in Singapore?

Then perhaps after reading this article, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and knowhows to source, find and hire top tech talents in Singapore.

To set the nomenclature of this article right, we will be using the terms “Tech Talent”, “Software Developer”, “Programmer”, and “Software Engineer” interchangeably.

The context of this article is written in a software domain, with the skillsets and requirements listed in this article being skewed more towards hiring a Software Developer.

Also, an important caveat must be sounded out.

Before venturing into this guide on hiring Tech Talents in Singapore, perhaps one might want to ask if there is a need to hire rather than outsource to a local tech development company?

Hiring vs Outsourcing?

If you are thinking of creating a one-off tech development project, i.e., to build a static website to showcase your company’s services, products, or portfolio, then perhaps your company might want to consider an outsourcing model instead.

In an outsourcing model, you do not need to hire software developers in Singapore.

Instead, you might want to look for capable software outsourcing agencies and, after that, negotiate the specifications and fees of the tech development cost with them.

In an outsourcing model, you do not employ nor own any of the software developers and probably will not contact any of them as well. The outsourcing agency will solely be responsible for liaising, managing, and paying the software developers.

However, if you are looking to build a tech product startup or company or establish in-house software capabilities, hiring and employing software developers might be a good choice for you.

Hiring software developers confer benefits such as long-term stability and a better degree of control, both of which might produce better long-term results for your organization.

If hiring tech talents are your final choice to go ahead with, then this article will be perfect for you.

Read on.

With over six years of hiring experience as one of the world’s best IT Recruiters, and highly involved in hiring hundreds and thousands of IT programmers, our 9cv9 team has distilled important learning points into this guide on recruiting/hiring the best tech talents in Singapore.

Here are our best tips and tools for your company to start hiring strong tech developers and, ultimately, to save costs and maximize your coding outputs.

In this article, we’ll seek to address this vacuum by providing tried-and-tested strategies to source, find, and retain top tech talent in Singapore.

Guide to Hire Tech Talents and Software Developers in Singapore

Understand the Tech Talent landscape in Singapore
What are the most in-demand tech talents today?
How to hire top tech talents in Singapore
How can businesses retain critical tech talent?
Summary

Understand the Tech Talent landscape in Singapore

1. Perennial Shortage of Tech Talents

While the tech talent shortage is a global concern, Singapore is among the most hit.

The country aspires to be Asia’s Silicon Valley, but as more foreign corporations move in, it faces a serious shortage of IT workers.

Amazon, Tencent, ByteDance, and Alibaba are said to be aiming to expand their operations in Singapore as the regional technology hub.

To make hiring matters more costly, the Government of Singapore created the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), increasing demand for software tech talents from the public sector.

This means local startups and Small and Medium Enterprises will have to compete more actively (in terms of salaries, and benefits) for talent.

Also, employers may have to spend up to 30% more than the average income level to retain tech talent to prevent other companies from poaching them.

In addition, even if the company can pay the required salary and have a wide array of attractive benefits.

Furthermore, Singapore has geographic and demographic constraints that limit the expansion of its workforce.

Singapore has 2,800 ITC graduates per year, despite an estimated need for 60,000 IT professionals over the next three years. This means that 51,600 jobs in the IT industry will remain unfilled.

2. Pandemic COVID-19

COVID-19 serves as a wake-up call that turning digital is no longer a choice — it is a need.

Businesses are extending their digital transformation activities to meet customer expectations in this uncertain era.

Unsurprisingly, the epidemic has resulted in tremendous development across the IT sector in Singapore.

In a time of worldwide COVID-19 lockdowns, behavioral change has also produced a new need for digital engagement, with online meetings becoming the norm for professional and personal relationships.

In other words, the pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in the need for people who can design and maintain digital infrastructure. This increased the lack of IT skills even more.

3. Salaries of Tech Talents in Singapore

The salaries demanded by tech talents in Singapore are among the highest in the world, or at least in Asia.

According to the Graduate Employment Survey done by the Ministry of Education in 2021, we can see mean basic salary earned by computer science graduates is around $5,900. This is even higher than those earning by law graduates, of around $5,400.

A 9% salary differential.

Note that “Basic Salary” comprises basic pay before deducting the employee’s CPF contributions and personal income tax. Employer’s CPF contributions, bonuses, stock options, overtime payments, commissions, fixed allowances, other regular cash payments, lump sum payments, and payments-in-kind are excluded.

At another source, Glassdoor, the average base pay for a tech software developer is around $5,300, with additional compensation being in the region of $3,500 to $25,000.

As you can see, it is not cheap to hire tech talents in Singapore.

And the numbers above make sense, given the scarcity of tech talents and the high demand of tech talents in the country.

If paying around $6,000 a month in salary to a tech talent sounds a bit too “morbid” for your liking, then why not consider tech offshoring, in which you hire tech talents in the neighboring countries of Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, or even the Philippines?

If you like to explore tech offshoring, then 9cv9 offers one of the best tech offshoring services in the world.

9cv9 is so good in its craft, that Enterprise Singapore (of the Government of Singapore) even endorsed 9cv9 Tech Offshoring in its GTTA program.

But.

If paying high salaries for tech talents who might not have the corresponding years of coding experience sounds like your cup of tea, then read on.

What are the most in-demand tech talents today?

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), data science, engineering, cybersecurity, and software development expertise will be in high demand in 2022 – and the global tech employment market, which Forbes described as “blazing hot,” is showing no signs of cooling off.

According to Mr. Ravi Menon of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, there will be 9,400 new jobs in the financial sector, with around 3,000 of them will be in tech, and 700 will be roles for software developers and engineers.

In another news article, it is anticipated that Singapore will require another 1.2 million people with digital capabilities in the next three years to compensate for the talent gap.

1.2 million is a huge number.

Around 24% of Singapore’s current population.

This rising need for IT personnel capable of creating, executing, and supporting digital blueprints has resulted in a hiring revolution.

With many possibilities available for competent tech professionals, they now have the upper hand in the labor market and can be pickier in their work choices.

This raises the following question:

What does this generation of IT talent seek in a new company?

Given the significance that tech talent places on picking positions that best suit their specific requirements and objectives, employers today have a greater role than in the past to persuade existing high performers and future tech talent why they should join their organizations.

Early-stage entrepreneurs may find it difficult to compete with digital behemoths with greater spending power, with local companies such as Shopee and Grab paying at least 12% over the market rate, and some international corporations might even be paying up to 25%.

However, businesses should take comfort that non-financial incentives are becoming increasingly important to tech talents in Singapore.

Other important aspects that drive Tech Talent acquisition include strong career advancement, a healthy work environment and culture, and chances for professional growth and development (L&D).

How to hire top tech talents in Singapore

1. Understand and Write the Job Description (“JD”) Clearly and Accurately

Understanding and writing the job description (“JD”) of a Software Developer is usually the first move to hire Tech Talents in Singapore.

The JD contains the job scope and responsibilities, the job requirements, qualifications needed, activities, and other pertinent information about the Software Developer job.

It also contains the company information, i.e., where the company is located, the work details, etc.

Regarding job descriptions, there is a peculiar disparity between hiring managers and candidates.

Whereas 72% of managers believe they give clear job descriptions, just 36% of candidates agree.

The first step is to understand the tech developer’s job scope you’re looking for, not just in terms of capabilities, but also what the tech talent in that field anticipates from a career path and if your organization can give it.

It is critical that the description only covers what your organization can truly provide to retain the finest candidates.

One approach to looking at job descriptions is to include not just the job’s requirements and skills, but also the role’s influence and position within the company.

In terms of just being able to recruit the greatest people, it’s critical to make structural modifications to these descriptions, such as utilizing action words instead of duties to express what the possible employee would be doing at the company.

According to Randstad Singapore, 59% of the tech respondents rejected jobs due to a mismatch advertised job and actual job scope.

Job Title

The job title is usually the first thing that the Tech Talent in Singapore will notice.

Writing a compelling job title that is succinct and short will attract the right Tech Talent in Singapore to apply for your job.

Try to make this short and sharp. Around 100 Characters or less is recommended.
– 9cv9

There are two strategies in writing a Job Title.

1. Specific (Recommended): In the Specific method, the job title is written to focus on the key skillset of the Tech Talent in Singapore.

For example:

Java Developer
.NET Backend Developer
Ruby on Rails Software Engineer

The Specific method is recommended as it is sharper and more accurate.

The result would be receiving Software Developer applicants who are more likely to fit snugly into your JD, saving precious hiring time in filtering and screening candidates.

The downside to the Specific method is the chance of missing out on the “Right” Software Developer applicant due to a “perceived mismatch” (Applicants might not apply due to the perceived impression that they do not meet the required skillsets) or the possibility to miss out on those who do not meet the technical skill requirements but excel in other areas, i.e., personality, soft skills.

One might ask, is writing a specific job title important?

According to Indeed, when they interviewed 2,000+ job seekers, they found that 36% of them use job sites to search for a job using the job title. Hence, they propose making the Job Title-specific and straight to the point.

The 9cv9 team also recommends this to get the right applicants applying for your Tech Talent role in Singapore.

2. Broad: In the Broad method, the job title is written in a way that aims to capture as many applicants as possible.

For example:

Software Developer
Software Tech Engineer
Tech Developer
Software Programmer

In the Broad method, this job title will attract all applicants, the good ones, the average ones, and the bad ones.

Hence, the hiring manager will be spending more time on filtering and screening.

However, in the Broad method, the hiring manager will not have the “perceived mismatch” issue.

In addition, the Broad method has the benefit of collecting data for subsequent Software Developer job openings in the company.

Job Scope

The job scope is important.

Tech Talent applicants in Singapore look to the job scope to understand what the role entails or the responsibilities to be undertaken.

Ideally, you should be writing the daily or monthly tasks required to be done by Tech Talent in Singapore. This will allow the latter to understand the activities and working duties needed.

If you were to write something like “The Software Developer should code software to create web applications.”

This sentence would not go down well, as it is too broad.

It is also not required to drill down super deep to be writing numbers for the Key Performing Indicators in the Job Scope.

Again, the job scope of a Tech Talent in Singapore role can be written in either a narrow or broad fashion.

Narrow job scope will mean that the Tech Talent in Singapore focuses on one of the following Hardware or Software Development domains:

Frontend Development
Backend Development
Fullstack Development
Mobile Development
Blockchain Development
DevOps

Broad job scope will usually entail some or all of the above domains.

In the context of software development, we will analyze some keywords to write in your JD when you are hiring Tech Talents in Singapore.

Keywords to focus on when writing the Job Scope are:

Planning: Planning software development is crucial to the success of the company. However, for a typical software developer, planning is usually not part of their job scope. The task of planning falls mainly on the Project Manager or, in some instances, the Product Manager or Solution Architect.
Executing: The main key job responsibility of the Software Developer in Singapore. Simply put, the Software Developer in Singapore needs to code. Keywords to include in your JD are “Hands-on”, “Working Experience”, “Knowledge of…”, “Experienced in”, etc.
Measuring: Measuring software development is a tricky process but typically, the Software Developer in Singapore should report on his/her daily or weekly coding activities in a scrum meeting.

We have reviewed several job scopes written by top companies and listed below some of the examples.

Sample Job Scope and Responsibilities Templates to hire Tech Talents in Singapore

Apply CI/CD in the development process
Apply operational knowledge to solve customer and operational problems using software and automation
Be a versatile contributor that able to work in frontend as well as backend
Build backend API function based on product requirement (using Node.js)
Build frontend interfaces that are clean, testable, and reusable
Build platforms which are supporting analytics and execution systems used directly by the users
Build software, data sources, platforms, and systems that utilize automation to deliver efficiencies and performance
Design and implement scalable applications and services and continuous integration and deployment
Design, implement, and maintain wrapper codes for manipulating mobile devices
Develop and maintain all server-side network components
Develop and maintain various internal tools that manage several different aspects of the business
Empower the team to work with development and cross-functional teams, influencing at a team level
Maintain and improve the code quality
Perform deployment and system setup for database, websites, and display management systems
Perform hands-on analysis of the technical, data, and business functions and workflows
Perform quality assurance tasks, including writing test cases, automated testing using scripts, testing, documentation, and issues reporting
Perform requirement analysis and preparation of technical specification documents
Play a key role in software development
Responsible for user requirement analysis, functional specification, development, testing, and implementation of application systems and customized software programs
Translate user requirements, business and industry needs into viable code and technical solutions
Troubleshoot network, hardware, and operating system-related issues
Work closely with teams to form good working culture and continuously adapt to different working environments
Work in a cross-functional and international team to deliver a holistic solution
Work with the team to define the architecture, design, development, code review, testing, and maintenance of applications
Work with Product Owners to define feature requirements and deliver a product that materially impacts the business and improves the end-user experience.
Write high-quality, clean, elegant, maintainable, and testable code

Note that the above copywriting for the JD to hire Tech Talents in Singapore can also be applied to JDs to hire Tech Talents in other countries and cities.

Paint a Professional and Accurate Picture of your Company

Usually, in the Job Scope, it is also a place to allow the hiring manager to share about the company or organization in Singapore or in another location (if your headquarters is located elsewhere)

Ideally, the hiring manager should paint a professional picture of the company, such as talking about the vision, mission, and working culture of the team that the incoming hire will be working with.

According to Indeed, 72% surveyed said it was crucial to see details about company culture in the JD.

Also, the hiring manager can share more about the working hours, whether the role is working onsite at the company in Singapore or working remotely in Singapore, the equipment provided, or any key mentors that the Tech Talent will be working with.

In this part, the hiring manager can also elaborate on the salary budget for the role, and company benefits, such as employee staff insurance schemes, bonuses, company perks, etc.

In Singapore, there is a good practice to pay an Annual Wage Supplement (“AWS”) to the Tech Talent. This is a fixed annual bonus regardless of their performance or working behaviors in the company.

AWS is not compulsory but is highly encouraged to retain your tech talents and increase their productivity.

Thus, do not miss out on attracting the best Tech Talents in Singapore to apply for your job by elaborating more about the company in the Job Scope.

Define the Job Requirements Clearly

In writing great job requirements, there are some principles to note.

For one, we refer to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (“TAFEP”) from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower.

The TAFEP recommends that the hiring manager not write or avoid writing discriminatory words in the job requirements for age, gender, race, religion, spoken and written language, and nationality.

For example, try not to write “Christian/Buddhist/Muslim/Hindu preferred” unless, for strictly religious purposes, your company needs a particular religion.

In that case, writing the reason for that would be appreciated.

In writing a good job requirement, there are several parts to focus on.

The first focus entails the level of experience needed.

1) Experience

From an intern to a fresh graduate, a mid-level manager, and even a Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”), it is prudent to specify the years of experience needed for your Tech Talent role in Singapore.

By stating an objective and quantitative number for the experience needed, you can reduce the number of unfit applicants and get only the right-fit Tech Talent applicants to apply for your tech job in Singapore.

For example, imagine getting applicants with less than 1-year experience when you need a leader and a highly experienced applicant for a Chief Technology Officer role in Singapore

The format for writing the experience field is usually written in a number of years.

Typically, the level of experience goes according to the job level:

Intern: Less than 1 year of experience
Fresh Graduate: 0 – 1 year of experience
Junior: 1 – 3 years of experience
Mid-level: 3 – 5 years of experience
Senior: 4 – 5 years of experience
Director/VP: 5 – 10 years of experience
C-Level: Above 10 years of experience

In addition, as the Tech Software Development role is technical in nature, it is crucial to include keywords in writing your “Experience” requirements such as “Hands-on”, “Working Experience”, “Knowledge of…”, and “Experienced in”.

Working Experience in a Startup vs Corporate Company

For some hiring managers, it is important to list down the requirement of whether the Tech Talent in Singapore has had experience in a tech startup versus that of a corporate company.

Why so?

Due to the differences in the working environment and working culture between a startup and a corporate company, applicants with prior corporate backgrounds might not fit seamlessly into a startup tech development environment and vice versa.

Given the limited hiring and tech development budget, it is crucial to get this detail right – to hire the right Tech Talent in Singapore with similar coding and working style between his/her past companies and your company.

For example, if you are hiring a Senior Tech Talent in Singapore, you might want to include one of the following sentences in your job requirements:

Minimum 5 years of working experience as a Software Developer
At least 4 years of working experience in Software Development, preferably in a startup environment where you have shipped high-quality products to users
4-5 years of working experience in Software Development is an advantage but not a must
Around 4 years of hands-on experience as a Software Developer in a corporate company

2) Education

For educational requirements, some employers might skip this as the Software Development domain is more practical rather than theoretical.

This means most hiring managers are looking for “hands-on” experience rather than a Ph.D. in Computer Science type of Software Developer.

That said, a degree usually signals some form of structured mindset capability and rigorous analytical training at the educational institution.

In that case, it might be relevant to input a certain education level.

In Singapore, there are some top technical universities that the hiring manager might want to take notice of and list in the JD.

School of Computing, National University of Singapore (“NUS”)
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological Univerisity (“NTU”)
School of Computing and Information Systems, Singapore Management University (“SMU”)
Information Systems and Technology Design, Singapore University of Technology and Design (“SUTD”)
Singapore Institute of Technology (“SIT”)

For example, if you are hiring a Software Developer, you might want to include the following copywriting in your job posting.

A Diploma in Information Technology, Software Engineering, or Computer Science or equivalent required
Degree in Computer Science preferred from NUS, NTU or SMU
Degree or Diploma in Computer Science and relevant fields

3) Skillsets

Software Developer is a technical role with mandatory hard skills needed.

Period.

Hence, explicitly writing the skillsets in your JD is a crucial requirement in hiring the best Tech Talent in Singapore in 2022.

Of course, hard skills without soft skills would result in an incomplete JD.

The hiring manager should consider a blend of hard and soft skills in this portion.

We highly recommend inputting relevant soft skills into the JD to attract the right candidates for your Tech Talent role in Singapore.

Hard Skills of a Software Developer in Singapore in 2022

Android
AngularJS
Apache HTTP Server
Async
Backbone.js
Bootstrap
Bottle: Python Web Framework
Bower
C, C++
CakePHP
Chai
Chef
Clojure
CMake
Codeception
CodeceptJS
CodeIgniter
CoffeeScript
Apache Cordova
Crystal
D3
Django: Python Framework
Docker
Dojo
Drupal
ElasticSearch
Electron
Elixir
Ember.js
Erlang/OTP
ExpressJS
Falcon
Fish
Flow
GNU Compiler Collection
Git
The GNU Fortran Compiler
Go
Godot Engine
Grunt
Haxe
Immutable.js
InfluxData
Jasmine
Java
Javascript
Jest
jQuery
Julia
Knockout.js
Kotlin
Laravel
Less
Liquid
lodash
Lua
LÖVE
Backbone.Marionette
Magento
Markdown
Matplotlib
Meteor.js
Mocha
Modernizr
Moment.js
Mongoose
Next.js
Nuxt.js
nginx
Nim
Node.js
Nokogiri
npm
Padrino
pandas
Perl
Phalcon
Phaser
Phoenix
PHP
PostgreSQL
Pug
Python
Ramda
React
React Native
Redis
Redux
Relay
RequireJS
Ruby
Ruby on Rails
Rust
Sass (Syntactically Awesome StyleSheets)
skimage
Sinon.JS
socket.io
Solidity
SQLite
Symfony
Twig
TypeScript
Underscore.js
Unity
Vagrant
Vue.js
Vulkan
webpack
WordPress
XSLT
Yarn
.Net

Soft Skills of a Software Developer in Singapore in 2022

Adaptability
Communication
Critical Observation
Critical Thinking
Desire to learn
Determination
Flexibility
Innovative
Listening
Logical Thinking
Negotiation
Passion
Presentation
Problem-Solving
Resilience
Resourcefulness
Storytelling
Verbal Communication
Visual Communication
Willingness to learn and improve

For example, you might want to include the following copywriting in your JD:

Awareness of “Clean Code” and clean coding practices
Familiar with at least one (1) of the following JVM-based languages such as Java and/or Kotlin, Web application languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and/or TypeScript, Mobile development languages such as Kotlin, Swift, and/or Dart
Familiar with Design Patterns
Familiar with different persistence storage technologies such as RDBMS and No-SQL
Great communication skills and can articulate complex, technical concepts to a non-technical audience
Have a strong sense of ownership of your deliverables and love making stepwise changes to improve the product over a period of time
Knowledge of Source Code Management tools such as Git
Test Driven Development and ability to design Unit, Integration, and Functional tests
You have a passion for building products that delight customers
You approach your work with a strong product mindset

4) Certifications

The Software Developer role is technical in nature.

Hence, it is sometimes crucial but not always to include some proof of technical mastery requirements.

This can be either writing the educational requirements (as mentioned above) or writing the certification requirements.

However, again do note that Software Developers in Singapore might not have the time to attempt these certifications as they spend most, if not, all, of their waking time coding and solving bugs.

Most software developers in Singapore (as in many other countries) prefer certifications from globally recognized companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Scrum Alliance.

For a Software Developer role, some of the certifications that the hiring manager might want to include are:

Certification Requirements for a Software Developer Role in 2022

The more certifications you list, the better it is to narrow your requirements and get in highly qualified applicants.

However, note that the pool of applicants will be smaller, and you might miss out on applicants who excel in other areas, such as great culture fit but do not meet your certification requirements.

in our opinion, hiring managers rarely stipulate certification requirements when hiring Software Developers in Singapore, as the former recognizes that both an experience in coding and a good portfolio are more important.

Also, these certifications can be attempted while working on the job at your firm so we recommend being judicious in writing them and listing those that you think are crucial to the role.

With that said, we collate some of the Job Requirements we have analyzed in hundreds and thousands of JD to list them below.

Your company can cherrypick the relevant Job Requirement keywords and phrases for your JD.

Sample Job Requirements to hire Tech Talents in Singapore

A Diploma in Information Technology, Software Engineering, or Computer Science or equivalent required
Degree in Computer Science preferred from NUS, NTU, SMU, or another equivalent.
Degree or Diploma in Computer Science and relevant fields
Excellent understanding of Software Development concepts
Minimum 2 years of experience in Software Development, preferably in a startup environment
At least 4 years of working experience in Software Development in a corporate company
Have proven work experience in Java Development
Proven work experience in developing Unix/Linux environments
Familiar with at least one (1) of the following JVM-based languages such as Java and/or Kotlin, Web application languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and/or TypeScript, Mobile development languages such as Kotlin, Swift, and/or Dart
Familiar with Design Patterns
Familiar with different persistence storage technologies such as RDBMS and No-SQL
You have experience with building Ruby on Rails applications
You have experience with building multi-tenant SaaS applications
You have experience with frontend frameworks like ReactJS
You have experience with ElasticSearch
You have worked with applications that handled and scaled huge amounts of data for online and offline data use-cases
Knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming and SQL
Knowledge of Source Code Management tools such as Git
Awareness of “Clean Code” and clean coding practices
Test Driven Development and ability to design Unit, Integration, and Functional tests
Strong hands-on experience in C#, .Net Technologies
Solid hands-on experience with AngularJS, ReactJS
Strong communication, analytical and creative skills
Strong creative and analytical skills
Creative, detail-oriented, proactive and result-oriented
Organized and detail-oriented
Able to work independently and meet deadlines
To be able to handle multiple projects within stipulated deadlines and work closely with different stakeholders
Enjoy constant learning and working with new technologies

2. Make use of several different hiring sources

Today, hiring from a single source, such as LinkedIn, is insufficient.

You’ll need several hiring channels to tap into, such as employee referrals, job boards, etc.

This is especially crucial because most job boards or channels are focused on a single niche or can have limitations on how widespread your job advertisement will be shown on the channel. Hence, by focusing just on one job portal, you miss the opportunities to receive top-quality candidates from other sources.

Also, some top tech talents in Singapore are not actively hunting for work (or in talent acquisition speak, they are passive candidates), but are receptive to hearing about tech job opportunities if approached directly.

This form of candidate sourcing does need certain sourcing skills, knowledge, and the identification of the proper people, which may be developed in-house or outsourced to specialists.

Recruitment is fundamentally a number game.

You can improve your “winning” odds at finding the best tech talent in Singapore by first boosting the top of your candidate funnel.

Thus, in this guide, we will share some of the top job portals in Singapore that have been endorsed and verified to bring in top-quality tech talents.

Top Job Portals in Singapore for Hiring Tech Talents in 2022

9cv9: Using a myriad of modern recruiting technologies and having over 6 years of employer branding experience, 9cv9 has proven to be effective in showing your job advertisements to the right Tech Talents in Singapore. They partnered with over 8 major job boards worldwide, such as Talent.com, Jooble, Recruit.net, etc. This ensures your job posting will be disseminated to these partner job boards for maximum exposure. Free for 1 job posting.
Indeed: General Job Board operating worldwide. Indeed is one of the biggest job portals in the world for attracting applicants. Many companies in Singapore also use it to attract tech talents. Free postings.
Glassdoor: General Job Board operating worldwide. Glassdoor recently merged with Indeed to streamline their job posting processes to give maximum results to hiring managers hiring tech talents in Singapore.
Linkedin: General Professional Networking Site operating worldwide. LinkedIn allows all companies to post 1 free job on their job list. Tech talents who use LinkedIn for professional tips and advice do sometimes encounter companies and job openings for tech jobs on LinkedIn. Free for 1 job posting.

For more job portals to post your JD to hire tech talents in Singapore, we have put together a complete guide to all the job portals in Singapore (Updated in 2022). In this guide, you get access to 22 job portals, some of which have been mentioned above.

Or if you do not have the time to read on all 22 different job portals and you would like to know the top 5 job portals that you can post for free to hire tech talents in Singapore, then read no further than our team’s guide on the Top 5 Free Job Sites in Singapore to post your Jobs for Free (Updated in 2022).

Also read: How to post a Job on 9cv9

Utilize Headhunters and Recruiting Firms

Sometimes, posting your well-written JD on the above job portals might not be sufficient.

Why?

Top Tech Talents in Singapore are few and far between. They would have many recruiters queuing up to get their signatures and these top Tech Talents in Singapore generally do not have the time, and the need to apply for the tech job on the job portals.
Some top Tech Talents in Singapore are passive applicants. This means that they are not looking for a new job at the moment, but perhaps, a well-craft tech job offer from headhunters might entice them otherwise?

In addition, headhunters and recruiting firms have in-house screening capabilities to help separate the “wheat from the chaff” in your tech talent applicant pool.

When searching for a headhunting agency, we highly recommend finding one that specialized in finding Tech Talents in Singapore.

These agencies will usually label themselves as “IT Recruiters” or “IT Recruiting Agency”.

Top IT Headhunters in Singapore for Hiring Tech Talents in 2022

9cv9: Besides having its own job portal for hiring Tech Talents, 9cv9 has a strong track record in headhunting top Tech Talents in Singapore. With over 6+ years in IT Recruitment in Singapore, and having its own in-house technologies driving strong talent acquisition for Tech Talents in Singapore, 9cv9 has received accolades for its headhunting HR technology services, including from Enterprise Singapore (of the Government of Singapore) for its GTTA Program.
Jobsrefer: Jobsrefer is the world’s 1st CV referral platform and contains the largest pool of freelance IT recruiters, referrers, and professional IT recruitment consultants. Jobsrefer uses the social network method to headhunt IT Professionals 5-6 times faster than traditional recruitment firms.
Michael Page: PageGroup is a British-based recruitment business with operations worldwide. Its recruitment consultants are highly experienced in finding the best Tech Talents for your organization.
Robert Walters: With more than 4,000 people in 31 countries, Robert Walters has delivered top recruitment consultancy services, staffing solutions, recruitment process outsourcing, and managed services across the globe. With its track record, hiring top Tech Talents in Singapore is a breeze.

3. Showcase a Career Pathway

Most IT talent is looking for a clear career path in terms of where they may be inside the organization, for example, in five or ten years.

If you do not specify that inside your organization’s structure, you may be able to hire the greatest tech talent for only a short period of time.

As it will be exceedingly difficult to keep them for an extended period.

Create Learning Opportunities

It is advised that firms should give adequate opportunities for their tech talents to develop outside of their day-to-day tech coding job.

Some examples include offering access to on-demand training options, the ability to devote work hours to charity projects for the organization, and so on.

Agility is also vital to enable your workers in this context. It can be accomplished by involving them in the problem-solving process, not just at their personal level but also at the larger project and product levels.

This ensures people are invested in the organization as a whole, rather than simply their individual function.

4. Establish a good organizational structure and corporate culture

What determines your company’s culture depends on how you do things; however, several standards must be considered.

First, there’s external culture, which refers to how your company interacts with external stakeholders, the environment, and other factors regarding the job it conducts or promotes.

Second, internal culture: what are the regulations regarding internal hiring for senior roles (which may help to encourage career paths and retain people), how do you handle prospects (which helps to develop the organization’s image), and so on.

Also read: Effective Company Culture: 4 Tips on How to Build It

5. Find out what works best for your business

It’s also crucial to keep track of some recruitment indicators in the day-to-day operations of your company to see how your policies are performing.

Time to hire, an applicant-hire ratio, recruitment source, typical tech retention period, and other factors should all be taken into account.

These indicators will assist you in determining your recruitment team’s areas of concentration.

6. Build a strong employer brand

The brand of your company is a combination of your business’s and your team’s image, and it is critical in attracting top personnel.

The more attractive your employer brand is, the more high-quality prospects will be ready to speak with you about your open positions, and the higher the quality of your recruits.

7. Listen to your current Tech Talents

Nobody understands a Tech Talent like a Tech Talent himself/herself.

To find out what is working or not in your current organization, simply have a coffee chat or a meeting with some of the Tech Talents currently working in your company.

They are the ones who will know the best when it comes to hiring and retaining Tech Talents in Singapore

Since the tech community is usually closely knitted, your employed Tech Talents in the company is your own hiring channel to convince and upsell your organization to prospective Tech Talent hires.

How can businesses retain critical tech talent?

When it comes to keeping talent, it is notable that an appealing wage package is not the primary priority for employees.

Today’s IT talent values corporate culture, work-life balance, promotion opportunities, and workplace flexibility just as much as they appreciate compensation.

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) recently published a study that found that perks and rewards do not always correspond with engagement and retention. So, what can businesses do to maintain their talent?

Employers must establish a healthy cycle in which employees are empowered to learn and use new skills at their own pace.

Such efforts demonstrate how much firms cherish their employees. Such an atmosphere will not only attract people eager to push themselves, but it will also contribute to long-term company success by keeping the brightest and most motivated personnel.

Incorporating flexible work arrangements (FWA) is another critical approach for keeping employees in 2022. Employees’ perspectives of work have shifted dramatically due to the epidemic since many have become accustomed to the flexibility of working from home (WFH).

Employees with families value the ability to spend time with their loved ones without affecting their employment. By allowing employees to work at their own speed and in surroundings that suit them, an element of trust is developed between talent and management.

These swings in thinking are critical;

Firms may struggle to attract and maintain a new generation of elite tech talent if they adhere to old working patterns for no reason.

Creating a structure in which workers have the flexibility to select where, with whom, and on what they work may go a long way toward keeping them satisfied.

Summary

With the emergence of Covid-19, the trend toward digitization of business and consumer behavior is picking up speed.

Technology has become more important than ever in driving value creation and innovation in the global economy.

The scarcity of tech talent is a perennial problem in Singapore

In addition, salary levels demanded by tech talents can be very high, pricing many SMEs and startups out of the labor market.

Recruiting IT professionals with high technical expertise is, therefore, becoming increasingly difficult for businesses in this country.

The above are a few things to keep in mind while hiring and retaining top IT talent in Singapore, according to our experience.

Companies unable to adapt to changing circumstances will have difficulty hiring and maintaining tech talent. By spending time and money developing a positive work culture, companies can keep their employees happy and attract the appropriate people.

To simplify recruitment, we recommend that you should use the 9cv9 platform.

9cv9 is Asia’s leading trusted partner of global companies and corporations for talent recruiting and management. We help your company connect with talented candidates locally and throughout the area, and onboard new remote talents to your firm fast and effectively.

If you find this article useful, why not share it among your recruitment and talent acquisition counterparts, and also leave a nice comment below?

We at 9cv9 Research Team strive to bring the latest and most meaningful data, guide, and statistics to your doorstep.

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