IT job market in Singapore

[fuel4mind]

Hi friendz,

I have an approved EPEC and LT visa. I am planning to come down to Singapore to start my job search soon. I specialize in Java/J2EE and I have 5 years of relevant experience. May I know how good is IT job market in Singapore and how easy is to get a job for an EPEC holder?

Thanks in advance.

[Saint]

Having an EPEC doesn't really give you a great advantage in finding a job, ok maybe slightly. If you get a job offer the Company still has to apply for a Employment Pass for and justify to the MOM why they should hire you rather than a local. Having an EPEC doesn't help you in any way with getting an EP approved.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Having an EPEC only guarantees that you will not be rejected because of your academic qualifications. It's doesn't mean you are guaranteed getting and EP though. As Saint pointed out, it's actually a two-part process. You have to qualify and the employer has to both qualify and convince MOM that they need to hire a foreigner. As junior & middle level IT people here are a dime a dozen for locals, it's going to be hard unless you have a new niche area of specialization. Security is a good area but even that is getting harder to overcome as the local educational institutions are pumping them out as well now.

Good luck. You may need it.

[serve_the_servants]

One of the demanded niches in Singapore right now are Identity Management & Access Control systems / mechanisms (IAM). IAM is in the field of security and process management, like sms mentioned.

IAM is becoming more hot and complex since it is 'moving into the cloud'. Yesterday a KPMG executive in the Netherlands mentioned at a conference where I was, that their research indicated that 'Western' IAM systems and consultancy are heavily demanded in Asia (Singapore and Hong Kong in specific) and one of the most lucrative export products for Europe and US based IT suppliers.

This likely will be until the locals master this complex field of IT.

Prince2 and ITIL certification seems to help as well in finding a job.

Good luck!

[revhappy]

There are several openning in Java/J2EE right now and finding a job should be easier than how it was 6 months ago. The investment banks are hiring big time. But do expect atleast 2-3 months of job hunting. Salary, you should expect 5-6k atleast if its an IB otherwise 3.5k to 4k a month should be the range.

[sm00f]

Hi All,

Rather than creating a new post, I rather follow up on this one and ask a few questions.

@serve. Thanks for the input regarding the information security front in Singapore. I am currently contemplating moving to Singapore. My research didn't prove that fruitful in terms of looking for jobs online in that field. Jobstreet.com.sg lists >2000 IT jobs since last month. However, noone ever speaks of IT Security management jobs (maybe just 1 or 2 job postings).

As for me, my expertise lists the following certification - ACCA, CISA, CISM, CISSP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, ITIL, ISO27001 Lead Auditor, Executive Leadership certificate, backed by a solid 13 years experience in the field of Information security and assurance.

Question 1: Does that stand a chance or is that an overkill?

Question 2: Even if i do get contacted for a position, what would be the package mostly like?

Research i did reveals an approx salary base for a programmer of around S$5,000 a month. Robert Walters report of 2010 expected salary speaks of an IT Manager between S$160K-S$240K and for an IT Risk and Compliance Manager between S$100K-$180K. However, the few senior positions I saw online was relatively low priced or quasi-inexistent. What does that exactly mean?
Question 3: Does it mean all the senior positions are already taken? Is there some other hidden sources of employment which I am not aware about (so far I checked with major head hunters and the sites listed on mom.gov.sg.)?

Given that Singapore is recovering pretty fast from the financial downturn (or so I heard) and given than IDA has plans to increase infocomm jobs by 55,000 by 2015, it is rather weird that senior management level jobs are not that much advertisement. Or maybe I’m just missing something.

Question 4: If finding management level positions is so difficult online, is it advisable to be physically present in Singapore to find value opportunities? I am here thinking of “In-principle Permanent Residence”

[serve_the_servants]

[quote="sm00f"]Hi All,

Rather than creating a new post, I rather follow up on this one and ask a few questions.

@serve. Thanks for the input regarding the information security front in Singapore. I am currently contemplating moving to Singapore. My research didn't prove that fruitful in terms of looking for jobs online in that field. Jobstreet.com.sg lists >2000 IT jobs since last month. However, noone ever speaks of IT Security management jobs (maybe just 1 or 2 job postings).

As for me, my expertise lists the following certification - ACCA, CISA, CISM, CISSP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, ITIL, ISO27001 Lead Auditor, Executive Leadership certificate, backed by a solid 13 years experience in the field of Information security and assurance.

Question 1: Does that stand a chance or is that an overkill?
Outstanding, I think you definitely end up with interviews, its up to you to grab the chance. Your qualifications for IT auditing and security are maximum from a certificate point of view.


Question 2: Even if i do get contacted for a position, what would be the package mostly like?
I have no idea, depends on your company and your negotiation skills. There are some list posted on this forum with average salaries for IT managers, but these are just a very average guideline.

Research i did reveals an approx salary base for a programmer of around S$5,000 a month. Robert Walters report of 2010 expected salary speaks of an IT Manager between S$160K-S$240K and for an IT Risk and Compliance Manager between S$100K-$180K. However, the few senior positions I saw online was relatively low priced or quasi-inexistent. What does that exactly mean?
Question 3: Does it mean all the senior positions are already taken? Is there some other hidden sources of employment which I am not aware about (so far I checked with major head hunters and the sites listed on mom.gov.sg.)?
Hard to say, but I guess that senior positions are filled up internally, due to the EP madness right now.

Given that Singapore is recovering pretty fast from the financial downturn (or so I heard) and given than IDA has plans to increase infocomm jobs by 55,000 by 2015, it is rather weird that senior management level jobs are not that much advertisement. Or maybe I’m just missing something.

Question 4: If finding management level positions is so difficult online, is it advisable to be physically present in Singapore to find value opportunities? I am here thinking of “In-principle Permanent Residence”

[fuel4mind]

Hey guyz, I have got 3 job offers in 10 days. I think I am lucky and I found there are lot of openings for IT especially for Java/J2EE when you are experienced. Thanks for all your support.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Have you gotten an approved EP from the MOM yet?

[sri09]

Congratulations on getting job!!


How about IT job market for Software testing?Will it work if I apply for jobs from INDIA? or I should go to Singapore and search.Do we need to have work permit Visa also before applying?

Please let me know on this.Since you have tried recently.

Thanks inadvance
Sri

[sundaymorningstaple]

Getting the job is the easy part. Getting MOM to approve the work pass after securing the job is the difficult part. The first part is skill, the second part is luck. Especially if your position is a dime a dozen position.

[serve_the_servants]

Sms,

If you are rejected for a workpass, does it make sense to apply for another job / employer and try again? Or does MOM save your record and kind of 'sandbox' it?

thanks

[sundaymorningstaple]

As MOM doesn't tell you why you were rejected, not necessarily. It might well have been rejected on the employer side. e.g., not able to justify to MOM why they needed to hire a foreigner.

However, should you be rejected by MOM for a second or a third potential employer, then you might be being rejected for something on your side and you will probably have to give it up. You should go over all the information on your applications to ensure that it is absolutely correct with all the i's dotted and t's crossed. Also, make sure that nothing is false in the application.

sms

[serve_the_servants]

thnx!

[revhappy]

Congrats fuel4mind,

Having EPEC and LTVSP means you can physically be present in SG and apply for jobs. Makes a huge difference as companies save on relocation costs. This is especially true for jobs with salaries that compete directly with locals i.e. 3-4k a month.