DBS pledges no layoffs, to create 2000 jobs this year

The new jobs will be a mix of openings for fresh graduates to apply as trainees, as well as more specialised roles for seasoned professionals.
By: | May 20, 2020

DBS said there will be no layoffs this year and has committed to hiring more than 2,000 people in Singapore despite the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Out of the 2,000 jobs, more than half of them are new roles which will be a mix of openings for fresh graduates to apply as trainees, as well as more specialised roles for seasoned professionals.

Southeast Asia’s biggest lender is also looking to hire more than 360 seasoned professionals in growth technology areas, while over 300 of these new jobs are in the areas of UX/UI, data science, fraud detection, compliance, as well as consumer and institutional banking technology.

DBS, which has over 12,000 employees in Singapore, is also looking to train and hire over 60 people in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, full stack development and data analytics through a range of specialised talent development programmes, namely the Technology in Finance Immersion Programme (TFIP) and the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) Mid-Career Advance.

In addition to the 2,000 new hires, DBS expects to offer 400 or so internships this year under existing programmes.

“While DBS is also prudent in our outlook, as a key employer in Singapore, it seemed right to us to not just continue with hiring for business-as-usual activities but also to actively create new jobs where we can, so as to help more people tide through this difficult period,” said DBS CEO Piyush Gupta.

“As a key employer in Singapore, it seemed right to us to continue to create job opportunities where we can, so as to help more people tide through this difficult period.

“In particular, we want to do our part to avoid having a ‘lost’ generation of young graduates in Singapore whose career prospects are jeopardised because they are unable to find jobs due to the pandemic,” he added.