SINGAPORE: With the year-end festivities on the horizon, the local retail, catering, and tourism industries are gearing up for a battle to secure temporary employees. Recruitment agencies report that demand for seasonal workers is expected to remain robust this year, with the potential for double-digit year-on-year growth.

As businesses prepare to welcome the holiday rush, some have taken proactive measures to ensure they have the workforce to meet customer demands. One notable company needing an increased workforce for their year-end sales is the Museum of Ice Cream. A company manager told Channel 8 news, “We need more time to find employees who are a perfect fit for our museum, and we also need to ensure there is enough time to train them. We are hiring 20% more employees this year. This will simplify our workforce planning and enable us to provide our guests with better and more memorable services.”

The company is also recruiting temporary workers earlier this year than in previous years. It plans to offer wages about 10% to 15% higher than the previous year and is looking to hire approximately 100 people, mainly for administrative and operational roles. The increase in wages aims to attract top talent and maintain the quality of service during the busy holiday season.

Despite the strong demand for seasonal employees, some companies have worked on improving their work processes and have reduced their workload, slightly decreasing the number of new hires required compared to the previous year. Industry experts suggest this may be due to businesses streamlining operations and ensuring efficiency.

One catering company, for example, plans to hire 20% more waiters and kitchen assistants, offering flexible hours to ease the demand during the festive rush. This move will allow them to better cater to customers while ensuring a seamless dining experience.

Online job search platforms have reported an upsurge in recruitment activities during the previous festive period, with a remarkable tenfold year-on-year increase. This spike was largely attributed to the rapid economic rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in pent-up demand and increased consumer spending.

However, the anticipated growth rate for the upcoming festive season may not be as significant this year due to the economic slowdown affecting major sectors like manufacturing and electronics, which in turn is having a ripple effect on the job market. Additionally, inflation has slightly eroded consumers’ purchasing power, causing some recruitment firms to anticipate a more modest growth rate than the previous year.

As the year-end celebrations draw closer, local businesses remain optimistic about the demand for temporary employees. However, they are keeping a close eye on the economic landscape and its potential impact on recruitment. Regardless of the challenges posed by economic uncertainty, these companies remain committed to providing a warm and memorable holiday experience for their customers.