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Post-Covid Salary Trends in Singapore for 2021

As we move into 2021, the one big question mark hanging over the heads of job seekers and employees is: “Will I see a pay raise this year?” The post-Covid salary trends in Singapore are unlike most years. With the unprecedented economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, salaries and remuneration package planning is not as straightforward as before.

In most organisations, salaries are determined by employee performance, business performance, availability of talent, the importance of the role, the organisation’s reputation, and the economy – to name a few. As observed last year, the Singapore economy plummeted due to the drastic effects of coronavirus pandemic. Some lost their jobs, others received pay cuts, and many did not get any bonus payments.

As our economy makes its slow recovery in 2021, many companies are also recovering. They now have a better idea of reinforcing their businesses’ vulnerabilities, mitigating risks and creating long-term strategies to manage and emerge stronger from any crisis.

While the coronavirus crisis had drastically reduced job opportunities and salaries in 2020 – especially in trade and tourism, it has also shone a spotlight on growing industries. These include cybersecurity, software engineering, financial services and healthcare.

Nilay Khandelwal, Managing Director of Michael Page Singapore, says, “Singapore’s economy has turned a corner and remains a stable, secure and trusted hub, with seamless connections. As the economy recovers, investment into the market will flourish, and that would drive the demand for talent amid the business recovery climate.”

Michael Page Singapore’s Talent Trends survey report has found that companies are still willing to offer competitive salary packages to the right candidates – with 40% of employers cited plans to increase headcount numbers this year.

Given the economic demands, the sectors earmarked for the highest hiring activity are technology, healthcare and life sciences, banking and financial services, industrial and manufacturing, and FMCG. Here’s what you can expect for salary trends this year:

Tech jobs

Average annual salary increase in 2021 – 3.5%

75% of companies looking to give out more than one month of bonus

Average salary offer for new hires – 15% to 20% more than current or last-drawn salary

Healthcare & Life sciences jobs

Average annual salary increase in 2021 – 2.8%

57% of companies looking to give out more than one month of bonus

Average salary offer for new tech hires – 10% more than current or last-drawn salary

Banking & Financial Services jobs

Average annual salary increase in 2021 – 2.2%

75% of companies look to give out more than one month of bonus

Average salary offer for new hires – 10% to 15% more than current or last-drawn salary

FMCG jobs

Average annual salary increase in 2021 – 2.9%

62% of companies look to give out more than one month of bonus

Average salary offer for new hires – 11% more than current or last-drawn salary

Industrial & Manufacturing jobs

Average annual salary increase in 2021 – 1.6%

25% of companies look to give out more than one month of bonus

Average salary offer for new hires – 10% to 15% more than current or last-drawn salary

The Michael Page Singapore Talent Trends 2021 Report features insights and market sentiment in the Asia-Pacific region on prominent recruitment and talent-related topics including digital readiness, organisational design, flexible work, leadership, performance management and diversity and inclusion. The report also covers salary trends and insights from industry insiders. The results draw from a survey of 12 Asia Pacific markets, with over 5,500 businesses and 21,000 employees, of which 3,500-plus are directors or CXOs.

CNY rules to note before you go for your reunion dinner tomorrow (11 February)

Hey folks, we’re finally one more day to Chinese New Year! Tomorrow (11 February) will be Chinese New Year’s Eve and usually a day where many of us will gather with our families for reunion dinner.

With the ongoing pandemic, Singapore is still treading very carefully in its safe reopening of the economy. Before we kick off the festivities with bak kwa, mini steamboat sessions, and pineapple tarts, here are six rules to note from the authorities.

#1: No festive events at work

We’re not referring to work-related events but Chinese New Year festive events. Businesses should avoid gathering for meals or “lohei”. Those who’ve been called back for such events can enlighten your management with this piece of news.

#2: Multiple table bookings not possible

Image Credits: aspirantsg.com

A physical reunion with your extended family members at restaurants won’t be possible this year because multiple table bookings are not possible.

But there is an exception. Those from the same household can be allowed to gather, but there should be no inter-mingling across tables. Now’s also not the time to expand your social circle and meet up with multiple groups.

#3: A maximum of eight visitors per day

For those who haven’t been able to catch up with the news, the eight-visitor cap was announced on 22 January and has been in effect since 26 January.

Recalling last year’s clusters and a spike in cases after the Chinese New Year Period, this move will prevent history from repeating itself.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also urged residents to visit a maximum of two other households a day. The public should instead use digital means to connect with their loved ones instead of physical visits.

#4: Use TraceTogether & keep face masks on

Image Credits: The Straits Times

You don’t want to drain your mobile battery by running the TraceTogether app? We got you. How about bringing along your TraceTogether token before heading out? Oh right, regardless of whether you’re visiting others or welcoming guests at home, the rule applies.

Lest you think you’re only required to wear face masks when outdoors, please note that you have to do so even when you’re in someone else’s home. MOH has also requested the public to refrain from eating and/or drinking while walking around in public places.

#5: No shouting during “lohei”

Will you be tossing yusheng on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year? Wear your mask, and no raising of voices please.

Aligned with the current rules on wearing a mask when diners are not eating or drinking, the authorities have advised doing a quiet “lohei” without the usual verbalisation of auspicious phrases.

But you can still use this app to play pre-recorded audio clips of your ox-spicious phrases. Problem solved!

#6: Send e-hongbaos

Image Credits: The Business Times

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) shared last month that those marking the upcoming Chinese New Year are advised to offer e-hongbaos. This would help minimise queues for new bills and for individuals to do their part for the environment.

Remote gifting will also serve its purpose in virtual Chinese New Year gatherings. We guess it will sit very well with the younger peeps too! Here’s an “Ultimate Guide To e-Angbaos” if you need help getting started.

Final thoughts

Before celebrating Chinese New Year, please keep the abovementioned rules in mind. The news reported that there would be more enforcement checks at F&B establishments, shopping malls, and crowded public spaces during this period.

Break not the law, and you will be just fine. 新年快乐, 财源滚滚!

Singapore’s first luxury confinement centre has opened with packages from S$12,000

The birth experience is beautiful and miraculous for many mothers, their babies, and families. However, it is also a profoundly exhausting and even medically traumatising journey.

After giving birth, many mothers need extended rest, recovery, and healing to recuperate from the delivery and begin to adjust to a new life together with their newborns.

This is where confinement centres come in handy because they can create a holistic and full-service experience for both the mother and baby.

Have you heard of KAI Singapore? KAI Singapore is Singapore’s first luxury confinement centre that’s specifically designed to heal and help a new family in every way possible.

Kevin Kwee, executive director of Laguna National Golf and Country Club, is the co-founder of KAI Singapore. He shared that it is common for new mums in Taiwan, South Korea, and China to recuperate in residential confinement centres in an interview.

“After 18 months of market research, and finding many such places more clinical than comfortable, I thought I’d improve on the concept by co-founding KAI Singapore. Singapore’s ready for it; I already have local and foreign friends asking to reserve spots,” he added.

The Kai Experience

The centre provides a bespoke embrace to the concept of Japanese hospitality, also known as omotenashi. Kai symbolises restoration and recovery, the two most important factors for a new mother’s health and wellness.

They have a full spectrum of maternity care for families, from prenatal and nutrition advice to postnatal food, and body rejuvenation. The complete guidance is all done in an indulgent environment that rehabilitates every member of the family.

Location

At KAI Singapore, every mother and child receives their suite in a hotel-like facility, one that’s both private and inviting while still being centrally located to town.

Have we not mentioned that they are located at 26 Dunearn Road? You will find yourself a less than 10-minute drive to Orchard from the confinement centre.

Not to mention the list of hospitals within a 3km radius:

1.8km from Thomson Medical (3-minute drive)
2km from Novena Mount Elizabeth Hospital (4-minute drive)
2km from Orchard Mount Elizabeth Hospital (6-minute drive)
4.1km Mount Alvernia Hospital (7-minute drive)
2.8km from Gleneagles Hospital (8-minute drive)

Facilities & Services

Private mothers’ lounge

Mothers will be thrilled to know that there’s a private mothers’ lounge that allows mothers to rest and socialise while their babies are asleep in a nursery offering camera surveillance. Stay connected to your child at all times by viewing them through a mobile app.

Integrated wellness haven

KAI Singapore is the first in Singapore to take the confinement experience and add luxury and elegance to it. You get to access a spa, salon, and aesthetics clinic during your stay!

Take advantage of the complimentary daily warm herbal baths and weekly breast massages to promote postnatal healing.

Their Kai Spa also has a range of facial treatments and therapy sessions for you to be pampered:

Age repair facial or essential rose facial
Prenatal massage using both Malay and Swedish techniques
Breast lactation massage to remove soreness and boost milk production
Head & shoulder massage which uses essential oils to soothe the tension away
Jamu massage & bengkung wrap to restore the abdomen to its original state

There’s also a relaxation lounge for mummies to get their pretty manicures and pedicures done!

24-hour professional care

As valued guests of KAI Singapore, you will be taken care of by a 24-hour expert care team. These are highly trained and supervised medical staff so you will be assured the best attention. There is also in-room dining, housekeeping, security, and concierge services.

Nourishing foods crafted by chefs & nutritionists

Your daily meals are catered by a state of the art kitchen that uses fresh, local ingredients and traditional cooking. The menu tailors to the individual recovery needs and requirements of the mother.

Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles of 一休二排三调四健养 (the process of healing, detoxification, restoration and nourishment), you can expect pure, natural, and wholesome foods with no added MSG or artificial additives.

Kai Cuisine is also all about using the best, natural herbs such as black dates, and sulphur-free ‘dang gui’ or angelica root. They even make their sauces, seasonings, and condiments from scratch in controlled batches in-house.

Every top-notch service is designed with Asian cultural values and heritage in mind, treating childbirth as a richly time-honoured tradition that provides rest and critical bonding time between mother and baby.

Package Prices

The standard package at KAI Singapore begins at S$12,000.

It comes with an extensive three-month prenatal program that teaches valuable mothering skills and wellness techniques, a seven-day stay after the baby is born, and a three-month postpartum program that helps mothers adjust to life with their new baby.

Guests can alter their stay-in periods and use the KAI Singapore’ intensive recuperation program for as long as their budget allows.

Final Thoughts

KAI Singapore is an innovation in luxury maternity management that provides top-tier services that address both mother and baby care components. There’s no better place to do it than at KAI Singapore for mothers who are preparing to welcome their new infant.

For more information, please head to kaisuites.com.sg.

Last chance to get your bouquets with a twist from S$29.90 for Valentine’s Day 2021

Valentine’s Day is just a week away! If you haven’t gotten your flowers ordered, do it now before it’s too late. Guys getting flowers for girls are so yesterday. That’s because anyone can get these unique bouquets for their significant other. Or why not surprise a cherished family member this year?

Here are some bouquets with a twist that caught our attention.

#1: Preserved Flower Bouquet – Mini Bunny Love

Sale Price: S$29.90

Usual Price: S$39.90

Flowers don’t last, they say, but this adorable bunny bouquet does! Get your dainty preserved flower bouquet with the ever-popular real cotton flower, which will last indefinitely and remind bae of your love for him/her. Take your pick between blue or pink. You may be interested in the Everlasting Flower Bouquet (S$29) too!

#2: Cotton Candy Bouquet Series

Price: from S$38

Cotton Dreams has a Cotton Candy Bouquet Series with prices ranging from S$38 to S$238. The one featured above is the most pocket-friendly version at S$38. You can opt for pink strawberry or an original flavour. The brand also has a special oreo crunchy bites with grey cotton candy arrangement (S$68) for the gentleman who loves monochrome.

#3: Eternal Love Money Bouquet – 18 Stalks

Sale Price: S$58

Usual Price: S$79

This is a lavish-looking cash flower bouquet coupled with fresh baby’s breath. It’s lovingly handcrafted and arranged with pastel pink, and gold border rice paper wraps with purple ribbon. Money Flower has more options starting from S$48. Click here to view their collection.

*Please note that delivery for 14 February has closed. Contact them for delivery from 15 February if your sweetheart doesn’t mind receiving it later. If he/she cares, try your shot at Floral Garage’s practical cash bouquet (S$57).

#4: Chocolate Bouquet

Price: S$60

Indulge your loved ones with a bouquet combination of Kinder Bueno, Kit Kat Chunky, fresh roses, and baby’s breath. You may even complete the lovely gift by personalising it with special add-ons.

Those thinking of getting an extremely practical bouquet for parents or grandparents should give Magical Bloom’s Season’s Harvest (S$68) a go. It’s so fresh we had to show it to you:

#5: Fluffy Potpourri Posy

Price: S$68

Furry cotton plants and dried wild florals in lilac packaging will serve as an eternal gift to brighten up his/her days ahead. Do avoid exposure to excessive humidity and sunshine to preserve its state. Petals Artistry is one of the few florists that’s accepting Valentine’s Day orders till 9 February. View their Valentine’s Day collection here and place an order soon.

#6: Dried Roses with LED light

Price: S$75

We will round up our list with Well Live Florist’s bouquet of dried roses, filler flowers, and foliage with LED light. It’s the most expensive bunch of the ones we’ve seen thus far in this article, but hey, it’s only once a year. This one’s great for the gram’ too!

Last chance to order, ladies and gentlemen. Get it before you regret it.

Employ SEO and SEM to rake in more revenue for your business

If you’re involved in the business field, there’s a likelihood you’ve heard of SEO and SEM. These terminologies are commonly tossed around, but what do they mean exactly? Is there a difference between the two?

Although the distinction can be minimal, if you understand how to execute them effectively and correctly, they can lead the organisation to extremely high traffic and growth.

Let’s look at the difference between SEO and SEM and how they can be game-changers for your company. Ready for results? Let’s plunge into this integral part of marketing for your business.

An overview before we begin

Image Credits: Inc. Magazine

The average person will most definitely click on the top few links in a typical search on Google, right?

That’s why the first page on Google search is where you want your website to appear. These days, human attention is short, and it’s essential to be the first few to grab your target customers’ attention before your rivals do. Here’s where SEO and SEM come to play.

They’re ways to promote the company so that your potential customers can access them on search engines, such as Google or Bing. If your company has a website rival, SEO and SEM are essential for more traffic to be guided to your domain.

Let’s explore their primary purposes to grasp these promotional tools better.

SEO otherwise referred to as search engine optimisation, is a concept that lets you organically appear in search results. While SEM, known as search engine marketing, depends on paid strategies to get you ranked on search engines.

Here’s a more insightful look into both approaches.

The four parts of SEO

Technical SEO – This focuses on improving your website’s technical aspects and constructing it to provide a fantastic user experience. It’s also part of on-page SEO.
On-page SEO – Involves tweaking the web pages themselves so that search engines can understand your title tags, content, internal links, and URLs.
Content SEO – Your content needs to match what the searcher intends to find. This is one of Google’s most important factors for its rankings. Consider these: keyword strategy, site structure, and copywriting.
Off-page SEO – Connect your website to other trustworthy and high-authority webpages through hyperlinks, PR, or different strategies, and the search engines will push you up the ranks over time.

Now, moving on to SEM.

SEM and PPC

SEM includes PPC ads instead of organic growth. PPC is also better known as pay-per-click. In the form of embedded advertisements, Google or other search engines can showcase your website and display them to your prospective customers.

Not all campaigns, however, are expected to yield results. To make your advertising stand out so that you get the best bang for your buck, you will have to see what your rivals are doing and choose your keywords wisely.

SEO vs SEM

Image Credits: Matchcraft

With every click your SEM ad gets, you have to pay.
In the form of clicks, SEM usually has immediate effects, while SEO takes much longer.
SEM advertisements give you more control over how they appear. This doesn’t apply much for SEO.
SEM provides you with data specifics so that you can quickly tweak your advertising for instant results. When it comes to SEO, that’s a bit more challenging.
Over time, SEO visibility expands, so the impact snowballs as you progress. With SEM, exposure comes to a halt as soon as you disable your advertisements.

Is one better than the other?

There is no straightforward answer as it falls on how your organisation is structured and what priorities you have at hand. But here are a few pointers to note:

What is your objective? You want to go for SEM if it’s a short-term one.
How is your current SEO health? SEM can be a great backer if it is already substantial.
Go with SEM if you expect that your company would have a higher consumer lifetime value. SEO could be ideal if it’s the opposite.
Did you have your sales and profits assessed? See if making a profit from SEM is practical for you. Go with SEO if it’s not urgent.

When it comes to driving traffic, either SEO or SEM is useful for your company. But why not use both? Most of the time, having the financial capacity to combine them will allow you to reap the benefits of both.

Here are some of the benefits of implementing both strategies:

Do you recall how we mentioned data was available only for SEM but not for SEO? Well, now you can use SEM as a tester for your SEO strategy.
Through incorporating remarketing strategies within your SEM plan, you will make your SEO efforts go the distance to convert those who didn’t buy before into paying customers in the future.

Final thoughts

Now that you know what SEO and SEM are all about, you can use your new-found insights to refine your competition strategy and make the best of both worlds to conquer the organic and paid regions. All the best in ranking your company site at the top of search engines!