Jobstreet by SEEK reimagines business model to tackle Singapore’s recruitment challenges with enhanced, holistic hiring solutions
A range of new innovations—including unlimited free ads, a bespoke AI-driven recruiting service, and a platform to verify work credentials—will help uplift Singaporeans’ job search journeys and placement success through more effective and impactful job ads.
SINGAPORE, 7 April 2025 — Jobstreet by SEEK has announced a transformative shift in its approach to recruitment with the launch of its new holistic hiring solutions, which aim to directly address pressing challenges faced by employers in Singapore amidst the changing recruitment landscape.
Shifting away from the traditional "pay to post" model, Jobstreet is offering unlimited free ads so customers can now pay for performance. These solutions integrate artificial intelligence (AI)-powered hiring tools, and leverage a partnership with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to provide a secure platform for verified credentials, streamlining the hiring process for both employers and jobseekers. These innovative solutions are meant to support both employers and jobseekers in the changing landscape, boosting job opportunities and placement success for Singaporeans.
Addressing Singapore’s Recruitment Challenges
Singapore’s hiring landscape presents unique challenges for employers in 2025. From lack of budget for hiring to a tight labour market where nearly half of job vacancies are made up of new roles, companies are facing significant hurdles in attracting and retaining talent.
Coupled with a surge in job applications per ad—with Jobstreet experiencing a remarkable 146 percent year-over-year increase in Singapore, surpassing the Asian1 average of 57 percent—traditional hiring strategies and screening methods are not sufficient to help employers grappling with hiring obstacles such as job-skills mismatch, rising salary expectations, and shifting workforce preferences.
Innovative Solutions Designed for Singapore’s Hiring Challenges
As the hiring landscape continues to evolve away from the traditional model, Jobstreet’s new suite of transformative solutions is designed to anticipate and tackle these new key market challenges.
Pay for Performance: Employers continue to face manpower cost restrictions, limiting their ability to compete for top talent. In response to employers’ needs for better returns on investment, Jobstreet is democratising access to the SEEK employer platform, allowing employers to post unlimited job listings any time and for any role, with access to over 3 million registered jobseekers via its platform, as of February 2025.
Employers will then have the option of activating premium features and paying for performance to help crucial job posts stand out. With all tiers of ads now displaying a forecast of how many applications to expect, employers can now tailor their budget and hiring strategy more efficiently. Employers can also unlock access to analytics and reporting where required, allowing them to customise their own approach for recruitment.
SmartHire: With shortage of skilled jobseekers in certain industries and employers struggling with finding the right talent in an increasingly competitive labour market, SmartHire is a talent-hunting service which aims to empower better matches for employers. By leveraging AI to intelligently connect employers with the most suitable jobseekers, SmartHire significantly reduces time-to-hire and improves the quality of matches for employers and jobseekers. Jobstreet is confident that this solution will provide employers with the best value, especially when they are short on time, expertise and struggling to find suitable profiles. To give employers ultimate peace of mind, SmartHire fees are charged only on successful hiring, at 50 percent cost-savings versus traditional recruitment.
Since its launch, SmartHire has enabled employers to benefit from streamlined hiring processes and improved workforce management capabilities that meet their unique needs. As of March 2025, SmartHire has landed an impressive 270 successful placements for employers in Hong Kong.
SEEK Pass: With job applications surging in Singapore, employers need to have the ability to quickly identify talent with the right credentials and skills. Insights from over 3.5 million verified jobseeker profiles in Australia and New Zealand (as of December 2024) show that jobseekers with verified credentials are 16 percent more likely to be shortlisted by employers, highlighting the importance of trust and transparency in recruitment.
SEEK Pass enables jobseekers to showcase verified qualifications and skills, helping them stand out to potential employers while accelerating the screening process. Following its success in Australia where 75 percent of employers found verified information valuable, SEEK Pass has been tailored for Singapore’s labour market to support jobseekers in navigating the competitive hiring landscape. While current workplace verification has been available on SEEK Pass since December 2024, the recent partnership with MOM and SSG now enables jobseekers to verify their Digital Identity and Career History with their Careers & Skills Passport.
Driving Efficiency and Better Outcomes for Hiring in Singapore
Building on its commitment to being highly agile and adaptable to the challenges employers face, Jobstreet’s holistic business approach goes beyond individual solutions. By combining SEEK’s cutting-edge technology, data-driven insights, and a deep understanding of Singapore’s labour market dynamics, Jobstreet is changing the way it does business to empower both employers and jobseekers.
With the aim of fostering transparency, trust, and efficiency in hiring, the introduction of unlimited free ads, SmartHire, and SEEK Pass are solutions that will enable employers to navigate the complexities of modern recruitment with confidence and efficiency.
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