Workers with skills in areas such as engineering and IT will be in big demand in Singapore next year, The Straits Times reports.

According to recruiters and headhunters working in the country, a key theme driving human resources next year will be a focus on productivity, as firms try to do more with less manpower.

Along with engineering and IT skills, sales skills and risk & compliance technical skills top the list.

Engineering skills were particularly hot, with salaries rising due to a lack of talent.

Restrictions on foreign labour as well as a slowing supply of graduates, with less people choosing to study engineering at a tertiary level, were contributing to the rising demand.