Mark Sparrow, managing director of Kelly Services Singapore, told Recruiter that the pace of momentum in diversifying into specialist professional markets in APAC “has really picked up in the last 12-18 months”.

Kelly Services Singapore operates a number of specialist divisions covering engineering, IT, science, and search and selection, focusing on mid to senior professional roles.

Sparrow said previously Kelly Singapore had built its reputation in the junior executive, temporary and contract market, but that this began to change around three years ago.

Kelly employs around 200 consultants in Singapore, with mainly multinationals clients.

Sparrow said the key thread running through the diversified businesses within Kelly was the specialist knowledge of consultants.

This was also proving popular with candidates, said Sparrow. “People tend to build strong peer networks with professionals from their own discipline or specialisation,” he added. And this in turn attracted clients, “who want to know that you can find people outside the normal marketplace”.

Despite the opportunities from operating in an economy that enjoys double-digit economic growth, Sparrow said the growth of Kelly Services as a company wasn’t the be all and end all. “Being the biggest is not our goal, we just want to be effective.”