Singapore, August 6:

A skills shortage has forced companies in Singapore to recruit overseas, including from India, with the battle for talent hitting a four-year high, a survey stated today. More than four in 10 employers are looking abroad to fill executive posts, Hudson Global Resources found. Apart from India, most foreigners sought by the IT sector are from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Britain and China. Media and advertising firms are also hiring from abroad, particularly for creative positions, the survey stated. The Hudson Report tracks quarterly employment trends in the city-state. “Companies are finding it more difficult to recruit the professionals they need,” country manager Stefanie Cross-Wilson told The Straits Times,

“They are engaged in a war for talent.” Fifty-two per cent of the 543 employers polled are looking to increase headcounts, up from 45 per cent a year ago. Candidates have become selective, holding out for higher pay.