INDIAN headhunters scouting for airport talent have landed at
Changi.
The infrastructure giant GMR Group, leading the consortia tasked to
build and run new airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad, has hired a
local recruitment firm to fill 15 key positions in airport
management and operations, as well as ground handling.
Only those with between seven and 20 years' experience need
apply.
GMR's recruitment drive comes at a time when the Civil Aviation
Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is reviewing its pay structure.
Contacted by The Straits Times, a CAAS spokesman stressed that
salary reviews are done regularly to ensure that remuneration
packages 'are competitive in order that we can attract and retain
talent'.
While foreign carriers like Emirates regularly conduct pilot and
cabin crew recruitment exercises in Singapore and elsewhere, GMR is
believed to be the first foreign airport operator to advertise for
staff in a big way in Singapore.
And analyst Shukor Yusof of Standard & Poor's Equity Research
believes it will not be the last.
He added that, with Changi's reputed brand name and many more
airport development projects in the Middle East, China and India
coming up, keeping good people will be a growing challenge for
Changi Airport.
Middle East companies especially
have demonstrated many times that they are prepared to pay well -
and even 'over-pay' - to attract good people, he said.
Mr Andrew Miller, an analyst with the Sydney-based Centre for Asia
Pacific Aviation, an airline consultancy, pointed out that, with
more airports being run as profit-driven commercial entities in a
global market, talent will flow to where the grass is
greener.
He said: 'Any airport that has good talent and does not understand
this will see some of that talent depart offshore.'
In China alone, the number of airports is expected to grow from
more than 140 now to about 190 by 2010.
India and countries in the Middle East also have grand plans to
upgrade existing airports and build new ones.
Like the GMR Group and other airport operators in the region, the
CAAS subsidiary, Changi Airports International (CAI), which manages
and invests in airports overseas, is also on a recruitment
drive.
CAI recently announced that it was sinking $220 million into a
29-per-cent interest in Nanjing Lukou International Airport in
China's Jiangsu province; it is also involved in plans to build new
facilities in Moscow and Abu Dhabi.
A CAI spokesman admitted that although the pool of specialised
people is limited, it has been successful in attracting people to
join it because 'Changi looks good on the resume'.
The flip side is that people with Changi on their resumes are also
on many 'wanted' lists, he said, adding: 'This is really no
different from other fields. We all have our few superstars and we
have to make sure we retain them.'
Other experts pointed out that many airports are being privatised
nowadays in order to have the flexibility to pay according to
market forces.
Whether Changi should be privatised or corporatised is a matter
under constant and careful review, a Ministry of Transport
spokesman said, adding: 'Changi Airport is a vital engine of
Singapore's growth, supporting Singapore's position as a business
and tourism hub.
'Hence, the ministry would weigh the merits and potential
implications of this move carefully.'
(Straits Times, 21 March)
In a globalized economy, if you don't pay your workers well,
others will.