Philips Electronics Embarks on Massive Talent Acquisition

Thursday, August 19, 2004

Singapore - Philips Electronics Singapore is embarking on a massive recruitment drive to add some 200 engineers and managers to its workforce within the next two months. Its Innovation Campus in Toa Payoh, the largest outside the company's headquarters in the Netherlands, is already home to more than 1,000 design and development engineers.

In its biggest talent acquisition since its set up in May 2000, the Philips Innovation Campus is expanding its product development portfolio as well as taking on new responsibilities that are being moved to Singapore. With the added responsibility of new product lines, the transfer of its supplier base management function and general expansion in its other business units, the Campus is recruiting experienced product managers, purchasing managers, design and development engineers, software engineers as well as professionals in various other specialized fields. The vast majority of the positions that the company is looking to fill are in the salary bracket of $4,000 to $10,000 per month.

Mr Mourad Mankarios, CEO of Philips Electronics Singapore, said, “This recruitment drive is in line with the direction that we have plotted for Singapore years ago - to “move up-market” by doing more value-added functions and relinquishing low-end manufacturing. The Campus has been gradually maturing, increasing its level of competencies and hence securing key strategic roles in the global plans of Philips. The success of the Campus can also be seen from the more than 600 patents that were secured in the last 4 years.”

He added, “We have created in our Campus, a spirit of collaboration between the various disciplines and product groups by challenging our innovators to break new grounds. We are looking for people who can take up the challenge - not only with their engineering and technical skills but also in taking charge of their own careers in the longer term.”

To find the large numbers of suitably qualified candidates within a relatively short timeframe, Philips is leveraging on all available recruitment channels such as mass walk-in interviews, print advertising, its web-based career center, executive search firms, employee referral and MBA/university alumni.