Studies by recruitment firms show a spike in hiring activity in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. The Monster Employment Index, which tracks online job posting activities on a monthly basis, found a 25 per cent year-on-year growth in hiring activity for software, hardware and telecommunications jobs. SMU Senior Lecturer of Information Systems Patrick Thng noted that people also tend to associate ICT jobs with long hours and low pay. He highlighted that Singapore has not been producing enough students with some of these deep technical skills, adding that fewer people are attracted to these courses because the perception is that the hours are long, and the pay is not so good in such jobs.
But the situation is looking up, he said. At SMU, there is a heightened interest for the Information Systems undergraduate course. "As students get to see successful start-ups - the Googles and Alibabas of the world - they get more excited about getting into innovation, ICT and start-ups," Mr Thng said.
[PHOTO: BLOOMBERG]