The following report provides an update on the key trends that we have observed within the Supply Chain & Operations job market in Singapore. It identifies emerging themes across various industries and details the major factors impacting hiring and talent movement. ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE Singapore’s economy advanced at a slightly better than expected 3.9% in the second quarter of 2018 compared to a year ago, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore's latest announcement in August 2018. Quarter two growth this year was supported primarily by manufacturing, wholesale trade, business services and the finance and insurance sectors. Specifically, the manufacturing and services sectors continue to fuel Singapore's growth in the second quarter of 2018. All the manufacturing clusters saw growth; however, the biggest contributors were the electronics and biomedical manufacturing clusters. For services, the finance & insurance and wholesale & retail trade sectors were the solid performers. The Ministry of Manpower reported that the labour market continued to expand with net growth in total employment, while unemployment and retrenchments in the second quarter of this year remained lower compared to the same period a year ago. However, the unemployment rate has increased compared to March 2018, which saw the lowest unemployment rate since March 2017. Retrenchments may rise as restructuring and reorganisation within organisations gather pace. MARKET TRENDS There continues to be strong demand for Supply and Demand Planning professionals as companies seek to improve their S&OP processes. Candidates with experience in Automation and Streamlining Supply Chain processes have been highly sought after for jobs within the e-commerce, logistics and manufacturing sectors. The logistics sector in particular has seen many global companies investing in both infrastructure and talent, with the aim of making Singapore a distribution hub. Singapore is a regional or global headquarters for many major logistics companies. This creates a vibrant ecosystem of leading shippers and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) in Singapore and, as a result, many firms have set up innovation hubs. Demand for Logistics professionals remains high as these companies actively drive innovative activities and new supply chain solutions for their customers. As companies develop their capabilities by engaging in, and integrating into their systems, smart processes, there has been a rise in demand for professionals who are well versed in Data Analytics, Automation, Robotics and 3D Printing. The increased use of technology to deliver better experiences and accelerated performance has certainly become more important. Robotics, AI and other digital technologies such as automation, blockchain, cloud, IoT, automation and 3D printing are creating new capabilities in modern supply chain and gaining momentum in many companies. This is due to their ability to increase efficiency, reduce costs and boost employees' productivity. As a result, Supply Chain & Operations professionals with experience in Supply Chain Transformation and change management will continue to be sought after. As organisations continue their efforts to drive process improvements in the supply chain and operations function, demand for Process Improvement professionals with a proven track record in reducing costs for organisations will increase. Project Managers along with Continuous Improvement and Solution Implementation professionals with relevant certifications (PMP, LEAN/Six Sigma) continue to remain in demand. With the explosive growth of e-commerce, consumers have come to expect a modern day retail experience associated with affordability, convenience, flexibility and speed. This has created a growing need for Logistics professionals with expertise in last-mile delivery solutions and supply chain analytics. The Trade and Customs function will see an increased importance for many companies as a result of ongoing trade tensions and its potential impact on trade and supply chain flows. With the evolving threats being faced globally in relation to safety and security, there has been an increase in hiring for Safety and Security professionals. This has been especially true for companies with widespread physical facilities in the region. Professionals with expertise in enhancing security standards through the use of security technologies have become well sought after. Candidates with demonstrated Business Partnering skills have been increasingly in demand, especially within the supply chain and manufacturing functions. With the fast-changing and dynamic climate brought by organisational transformation and post M&A, companies have been placing greater emphasis on hiring talent who demonstrate adaptability, nimbleness and willingness to embrace change. THE FUTURE As we enter the second half of 2018, there is heightened economic uncertainty in light of ongoing trade tensions between major economies. The trade tensions between the United States and China could have huge implications on heavily integrated and globalised supply chains. Moving into the second half of 2018, slower market growth is anticipated due to several factors including ongoing trade tensions, slowdown of key final demand markets such as US, Eurozone and China, and an expected normalisation of monetary policy in the US. In line with developments in the global market, it has become increasingly important for professionals to remain agile and responsive to emerging technological trends, economic restructuring and the evolving workforce landscape. NOTABLE PLACEMENTS Profile’s recent completed searches in our Supply Chain & Operations practice include: VP of Procurement Regional Supply Chain Director VP of Health & Safety Director of Operations Business Process Re-engineering Lead Supply Chain Manager Regional Planning Manager Regional Health and Safety Manager Senior Manager, Trade Compliance Customer Service Head KEY CONTACTS For more information about hiring trends in Singapore, please contact the Supply Chain & Operations team. Yvonne Goh, Regional Director T: +65 6513 2511 E: ygoh@profileasia.com Shyan-Hwei Phua, Associate Director T: +65 6513 2510 E: sphua@profileasia.com Matthew Chan, Associate T: +65 6513 2515 E: mchan@profileasia.com

The Human Resources Online article, 'Artificial intelligence at work: Is senior leadership ready for change?’, discusses key findings from our ‘Working in Asia’ 2018 report. The article is extracted below. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT WORK: IS SENIOR LEADERSHIP READY FOR CHANGE? One-third of managers across Singapore (37%), Hong Kong (36%), and China (32%) are fairly on-the-fence about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) at the workplace – saying it will create and destroy roughly an equal numbers of jobs. This data was unveiled at the launch of research by Roffey Park and Profile Search & Selection, titled Workplace in Asia: Key HR and leadership priorities for 2018, attended by Human Resources. It features views from managers and non-managers across Singapore (1,064), Hong Kong (584), and mainland China (283). Unfortunately, more than half of managers in all three regions do not think their organisations currently have the skills and expertise to take advantage of AI (56%, 55%, and 51% respectively - see below). The common thread in the research comments on this aspect is around senior leaders recognising AI as an opportunity; however the gap exists between this recognition and being able to take action and make full use of those opportunities. Seen here is Alex Swarbrick, regional director of Roffey Park Asia Pacific: Another aspect of preparedness surveyed was diversity, where an overwhelming majority in the three regions surveyed (79%, 85%, 81%) agreed that their organisation is accepting of differences. Over three in five respondents also believed their organisation is effective at attracting, recruiting and retaining individuals from diverse backgrounds. Respondents were also relatively more confident in managers becoming more skilled at working with people from diverse backgrounds compared to a year ago. However, save for mainland China (57%), fewer than half of managers across Singapore (46%) and Hong Kong (42%) agreed that their senior leadership team has sufficient diversity. Additionally, when the survey was first launched in 2014 in Singapore, HR managers deemed diversity and multi-generational issues not as important at that time. But they thought that it will become more pertinent in five years. Standing at almost the five-year mark today, the data suggests that HR managers think it’s still a concern for the future: ​ To view the original article, please click here.

以下报告提供了我们所观察到的中国财务市场就业最新趋势，并指出了不同行业的新兴主体，详细介绍了影响招聘和人才流动的主要因素。 经济形势 2018年第二季度，中国经济同比增长6.7％，与市场预期相符，但略低于2018年第一季度实现的6.8％的增长率。 这是自2016年第三季度以来最慢的增长速度，因为当时与美国的关税战不断升级、面临债务去杠杆化的压力和金融风险。 按季度计算，2018年第二季度经济增长1.8％，与上一季度1.4％的增长率相比有所提升，超出市场预期的1.6％。 失业率在2018年第二季度下降至3.83％，为2002年以来的最低水平，与上一季度的3.89％相比进一步下降。 市场趋势 财务规划与分析仍是求职者趋之若鹜的领域，因为其涉及范围广，而且接近企业的核心。企业也一直在招募对创收和提高盈利能力具有丰富经验的专业人士。 越来越多的国内企业加入了企业经营转型的队伍，从单纯站在会计角度做决策的传统财务模式转为鼓励专业人士与企业领导者密切合作实现共同组织目标的业务合作伙伴模式。因此，企业一直在寻找有能力重组该模式并将其发展成前瞻性模式的人才。其中有许多企业在寻找掌握变革管理和企业财务合作技能的专业人士，希望借助他们的力量，发展更先进的业务合作伙伴模式。那些具备突出财务分析能力，特别是能够在管理决策上提供宝贵的洞察性意见的专业人士，将从众多人才中脱颖而出。 反观那些对传统会计模式青睐有加的企业，一直在通过实施集中式共享服务中心（SSC）进行（或考虑进行）企业经营转型。在亚太地区，中国是企业建立共享服务中心或将已有的国内会计团队外包给第三方的关键枢纽。因此，对在设计、建立或管理共享服务中心或外包方面能力突出的高级专业人才一直有着旺盛的需求，尤其是那些有区域经验的人士。 近年来，由于初创企业和高科技企业的发展，市场迅速扩大，对于财务总监级别的人员招聘、融资、并购和IPO经验已成为企业招聘的基本要求。 工资和奖金 今年，财务人才的平均工资涨幅约为8%到10%，表现优异者以及某些行业可达到15%。 在奖金方面，业绩更优的行业，比如高科技、支付、医疗保健行业等比其他行业的涨幅更大。 2017年，跳槽者的工资增长幅度因个人资质和行业不同而异，从一家公司换到另一家公司一般能有15%到20%的基本增长。这也符合年初至今的统计数据。 未来 鉴于中国稳固的经济格局，今年对财务人才的需求有望继续保持相对强劲的势头。 根据中国银行国际金融研究所的研究结果，迄今为止，已新设立了5,179家外商投资企业，2018年外商直接投资预计将增加3%。前景喜人，也意味着今年中国的就业市场仍将保持活跃。 随着国家提出“互联网+”战略以及在线和移动支付解决方案和金融科技行业的迅速崛起，2018年下半年对熟悉在线支付技术和数字平台的财务人才的需求将进一步增加。 许多国内综合企业纷纷受益于中国政府的“一带一路”政策，该政策让本地企业可以更轻松、更快地与其他国家建立贸易往来。因此，国内企业取得了更显著的业务增长，也给求职者带来了更丰厚的薪酬福利。另一方面，由于总部一般位于本地，所以具有更大的决策权。基于这些优势，国内企业对许多专业人才来说已然成为比跨国企业更好的选择。