SALARY SURVEY 2013 - Robert Walters Singapore

OSAKAOSAKASALES&MARKETINGOSAKASALES&MARKETINGSALES&MARKETINGRobertWaltersGlobalSalarySurvey2013329IndustrialMarketOverviewAsforeignelectronicsmanufacturersclosedthegaponJapanesefirmsbyofferingqualityproductsatcheaperprices,domesticfirmsincreasinglylookedtorelocateoverseasastheysoughttoreducemanufacturingcostsandbecomemorecompetitive.Firmsalsolookedtoexpandtheiroverseasmarketpresencetodevelopnewrevenuestreamsandincreasedtheamountofsalesprofessionalstargetingforeignmarkets.Inafurtherefforttomaximiseefficiencies,industrialcompanieswerealsoincreasinglytakingadvantageoftheservicesofferedbyoriginalequipmentmanufacturers(OEMs).Tomanagetheseoverseasvendors,companiescreatednewopeningsforsalesengineerswhocouldunderstandthetechnicalaspectoftheirproductsandselltocustomersinJapan,whilstdealingwiththeoverseasOEMs.Inmanycases,theneedforJapanese,EnglishandtheabilitytospeakChineseorotherAsianlanguagessuchasThai,becameincreasinglycommon.Outlookfor2013WeanticipatethatlargeJapaneseindustrialfirmswillcontinuetoutiliseservicesofferedbyOEMsandoffshorevendorsastheyseektofurtherreducecosts.Asaresult,weexpectincreaseddemandforEnglishspeakingsalesengineerprofessionalswhoareabletofocusonnewbusinessacquisitionaswellasmanagingexistingclients.Fortheseroles,firmsarelikelytobeflexibleonspecificindustryexperienceduetotalentshortages.Despitethisincreasedrelianceonoverseasproduction,domesticmanufacturerswillretaintheirresearchanddevelopmentteamsinJapantoensurethesecurityoftheirintellectualproperty.Asaresult,weexpecttoseemoreengineeringrolesbecomingavailable,particularlyintheelectronicandchemicalsectors.ConsumerandRetailMarketOverviewStrongconsumerconfidenceandspendingin2012resultedinhighjoblevelsintheretailsector.Manycompaniessellingover-the-counter(OTC)consumerproductsexpandedabroadtogrowrevenuestreams.Tosupportthisactivity,theyhiredbilingualsalesprofessionalswithoverseasexperience.Outlookfor2013MajorcommercialdevelopmentprojectsinNorthOsakawillnearcompletionin2013,withanumberofnewdepartmentstoresandretailunitssettoopen.Thisislikelytocreateconsiderabledemandforstoremanagersandsalesstaff.Duetoahighvolumeofcandidateswiththeseskillsets,salarylevelsareexpectedtoremainconsistent.However,bilingualprofessionalsmaycommandapremium.HealthcareMarketOverviewJoblevelswerehighacrossthehealthcaresectorasbrandedpharmaceuticalcompaniespreparedforstrongcompetitionfromgenericdrugmanufacturerscapableofproducingsimilarmedicinesaheadofanumberofpatentsexpiringin2014.Asaresult,theseemployerscreatednewmarketingpositionsrequiringbrandandproductskillsastheysoughttodrivesalesvolumesandmaintaintheirmarketshare.Genericdrugmanufacturersrecruitedinavarietyofareasin2012.Inparticular,wesawsignificantdemandforrevenue-generatingprofessionals,suchasmedicalrepresentatives,asfirmssoughttogainmarketshare.However,thesefirmshaddifficultyattractingcandidatesduetothehighersalariesofferedbyandgeneralperceptionofbrandedpharmaceuticalfirms.Outlookfor2013Weexpectreducedjoblevelswithinbrandedpharmaceuticalfirmsasthesebusinesseslooktostreamlinetheirmarketingfunctionsfollowingincreasedcompetitionfromgenericmanufacturers.Becauseofthistrend,weexpectjobseekerstoincreasinglyconsideropportunitiesatgenericcompanies.Medicaldevicecompaniesshouldalsohirestrongly,withnewregulationsinthisspacecreatingdemandforqualityassuranceprofessionals.Marketratesalarylevelswillremainconsistent,however,weexpectprofessionalstoreceiveincreasesofaround10%whenmovingjobs.InformationTechnologyMarketOverviewAfteraperiodincreasedhiringbyKansai-basedfirmsin2011,ITjoblevelsstabilisedin2012.Thiswasprimarilyduetoreducedbusinessactivityincertainareas,suchaselectronicsandsemiconductors.Togeneratenewrevenuestreams,ITfirmssoughtsolutionsalesprofessionalsandaccountmanagers.Companiesfocusedonhiringatthemidtoseniorlevelastheylookedtohirecandidateswithstrongindustryconnectionswhocouldselltolargemanufacturers.Withfewbilingualprofessionalsseekingnewopportunities,foreignemployersweretypicallyflexibleonlanguagerequirements.Outlookfor2013IThiringwillbemoderatein2013asbusinessactivityisexpectedtoremainstable.WeexpectincreaseddemandforsalesandmarketingprofessionalsintheITsecuritysectorasemployersinvestincloudcomputingandSoftwareasaService(SaaS)astheyseektoimprovebusinessefficiency.Asaresult,manyofthesesupplierswillseekseniorsalesprofessionalstotapintothisdemand.