Job-seekers reject offers

THE pendulum has swung in favour of job-seekers, as the economy improves and companies get hungry for workers.

More employers say they are getting the snub from these people, who are holding out for higher salaries and better benefits, according to a quarterly survey by recruiter Hudson.

Its poll of more than 500 employers from key business sectors in Singapore show 40 per cent have received rejections of their job offers in the last six months. In contrast, only 21 per cent have not encountered any refusal.

The common reasons given for the rejection are: higher salary expectations (55 per cent) and better offers from other companies (51 per cent). About 38 per cent say the candidates told them their employers had made a counter-offer while 10 per cent lost out because their benefits were not good enough.

The Hudson's survey, released yesterday, also shows 57 per cent of bosses want to raise their headcount in the third quarter - a peak never achieved since the first quarter of 2001. It is also a rise from 54 per cent in the previous quarter and more than double the 26 per cent reported a year ago.

The top hirers are banking and financial services (67 per cent), information technology and telecommunications (64 per cent) and healthcare and life sciences (50 per cent). Growth in Asia and improved business sentiments are fuelling the drive to hire, said Hudson Singapore's executive general manager Georgie Chong.