ReleaseWire

Switzerland is leading the way in the development of new technology to help the early detection of cancer based on the use of a new innovative biomarker and liquid biopsy. After clinical trials, the product has demonstrated an unprecedented potential in successfully identifying early lung, prostate and breast cancer diagnoses. The Swiss start-up, 4D Lifetec AG, is an example of the trailblazing aptitude that the Swiss research and development sector has, which will ultimately have immense benefits for public health across the globe.

For many organizations, 2020 was a year when the business went into survival mode. Entire workforces went online, brick and mortar enterprises went digital and it became crucial, almost everywhere, to speed up digital transformation so as not to get left behind. Now that we're in 2021, there is a chance for every organization to move beyond survival mode and into something more growth-driven and profitable - and enterprise solutions jobs are likely to form the core workforce able to make this happen. Some of the trends that could potentially drive this accelerated interest in enterprise solutions include a speeding up of cloud migration, the increasing role of edge computing, far more use of automation on a much wider scale and the need to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gain business insight.

According to the FDA, a biosimilar is a biological product that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-approved reference product. Biosimilars represent the fastest-growing class of therapeutic products in the United States. Biosimilars allow consumers to save money on health care without sacrificing treatment quality. As a product, they are incredibly important as they have the potential to offer consumer competition and increase patient access to essential medicines. With this in mind, it's not surprising that R&D professionals are in high demand throughout the USA to further sectors such as biosimilars.

IT and technology have already played a crucial role in the way that the world has responded to the crisis of COVID-19. From track and trace to vaccine passports, it has enabled governments to develop measures to keep economies afloat and promote a faster recovery. Those in IT and technology jobs in the USA also have the potential to contribute to a more inclusive recovery from the pandemic, as emerging cutting-edge technologies can be used to minimize the inequalities that the pandemic has highlighted. UNCTAD's Technology and Innovation Report 2021 was published in February this year and established that rapidly developing frontier technologies, such as robotics, big data, drones and Artificial Intelligence (AI) (and ensuring that developing countries have equal access to them) - are going to be essential to COVID-19 recovery.

One of the best international recruitment agencies in the world, Volt International offers recruitment services to help businesses manage their long-term and short-term recruitment needs. Hiring the right talent is essential, however, ensuring a consistent flow of talent into a business can be a tough task. This is where Volt International comes in, as they assist the clients in filling both permanent & temporary positions. In addition, Volt specialises in recruiting for an array of sectors including sales & customer service, IT, PR & marketing, finance & accounts, and PA & Secretarial.

The European Union is set to face a mammoth task of strategically positioning itself economically in a world of global competition. Europe's economy is set to remain dependent in this process on open and secure world markets to unfold its strength. The EU financial market has a pivotal role to play in ensuring Europe's economic success. One integral precondition for protecting the European and thus the German economy is that EU member states do not allow themselves to be divided and ruled. Undoubtedly, the EU is a market with incredible purchasing power and a productive investment location with almost 450 million citizens. The long-term success of the EU strategy rests on it undertaking a holistic view of the various aspects of the economy.

Technological innovation grows exponentially, and in the field of quant financial careers this means there are always new trends and breakthroughs. When it comes to these trends, candidates and companies will need to align themselves with a leading recruitment agency in order to pivot and adapt to the post-Brexit hiring landscape. Now that freedom of movement has ended between the EU and the UK there will be notable changes within the recruitment industry. As a leading specialist recruiter for banking and financial services throughout the UK, Selby Jennings are ideally placed when it comes to key trends in the sector, as well as leading industry news and updates.

Frankfurt is the business and financial centre of Germany and the largest city in the German state of Hesse. The city is renowned for its futuristic skyline as well as the busiest German airport. Frankfurt is also the financial capital of Continental Europe and the key transportation centre of Germany. Companies based in key financial locations such as Frankfurt in Germany, have been planning for Brexit for years, and as a result, numerous head offices and teams have moved to the continent to mitigate risk among a legion of other factors.

Financial crimes are on the up and financial institutions are reacting to this by expanding their teams in both anti-money laundering (AML) and counterterrorism funding financing (CTF). Looking ahead, as we approach year-end, organisations have already started the planning process when it comes to hiring business-critical talent. Plus, thanks to renewed budgets there is set to be a rise when it comes to on-boarding any prior headcounts that they were previously placed on hold. As the leading specialist recruiter for banking and financial services careers in Hong Kong, Selby Jennings have indicated that the first half of 2021 will make way for a mini-boom in the talent landscape.

The promise of numerous successful vaccines as well as effective therapeutics being available to the mass market in early 2021 has generated an increase across hedge fund sectors. There is expected to be a significant spike in hiring for this sector because of pandemic related market volatility. This is especially true for hedge funds, which resort to impenetrable and complex strategies when it comes to their quest for gains.

The increasing digital divide between countries is a hot topic of conversation today, especially in the wake of the pandemic as recovery begins for many. The World Economic Forum has warned that a deepening of the digital divide could be incredibly problematic going forward. That's why next generation tools and the new evolution of platforms offering vital financial services, such as savings, loans and international transfers, is increasingly essential. This has become even more pressing given the global health crisis of the last year when national lockdowns meant that traditional access to financial services was suddenly severely limited.

Fintech jobs are at the heart of innovation in the financial services sector. This has been particularly important during the COVID-19 crisis and the green shoots of recovery that are just beginning to show. The 2021 Banking and Capital Markets Outlook report from Deloitte polled industry leaders on the recovery efforts of their businesses and how the lessons that have been learned over the past year could be a catalyst for a new approach going forward. Fintech appears multiple times in the report as an inspiration for the traditional financial services sector, for example when it comes to leveraging customer data and analytics to deliver ultra-personalised services to customers and engage consumers in more creative ways.

The German Federal Government has recently approved a law on due diligence, to guarantee the preservation of human rights and the maintenance of environmental regulations at every stage of the supply chain process. The implementation of this regulation ensures that due diligence is upheld not just within the state, but in places where raw materials are extracted and goods are assembled. Companies with more than 3,000 employees will be subject to supply chain standards by 2023, with fines for non-compliance reaching a 2% of average annual sale, for companies that surpass €400 million in sales. Thanks to their industry leading knowledge and a business model founded on being sector-specific, the team at DSJ Global are able to proactively react to this type of industry news as Germany adapts to the 'new normal'.

The traditional supply chain process has been flipped on its head due to the ever changing and evolving digital age. The rise of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and countless other disruptive technologies have meant that the supply chain industry has changed at an exponential rate. With the modern-day customer demanding short delivery cycles, more variety and customisation as well as lower cost. As a result, production runs are required to be shorter, the number of stock-keeping units skyrockets and the accuracy of forecasts can plummet. Bearing all this in mind, it's paramount that supply chain employers understand and represent the new era through their recruitment choices.

Since 2016, Uber freight has allowed independent truckers and van drivers to connect with shippers and freight forwarders. 2021 has seen the ongoing development of the San Francisco-founded company via its introduction of 'Market Access'. This strategic procurement channel enables shippers to source capacity in real-time whilst maintaining market visibility and control over cost. This feature also allows the user to access competitive rates on inconsistent volume, which is especially vital in a tight market. Furthermore, Market Access guarantees price transparency and it has been developed to enable shippers to pay carriers the costs incurred over the Uber Freight marketplace, plus an agreed-to fee upon delivery.

There has never been a more exciting time to explore the opportunities throughout the Asian logistics industry with international freight increasing year-on-year. In 2018, the cargo that travelled through Hong Kong International Airport surpassed all other airports in the world, including Shanghai, Incheon and Dubai, in terms of international air cargoes handled. With an estimated annual growth rate of 3.5%, Hong Kong's airfreight throughput rose from 4.38 million tonnes in 2014 to 5.02 million tonnes in 2018. The development of the three-runway system at HKIA has also been designed to strengthen Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub, able to cater for long-term air traffic demand and, in turn, strengthen the competitiveness of the city's air cargo industry. The three strategic areas for potential development at the airport include: cross-border e-commerce opportunities, targeting high-end & high-value cargo, and enhancing regional cargo services.

The domestic US logistics industry continues to thrive as we approach the anniversary of the shelter-in-place mandate, which resulted in a significant boost for American e-commerce. However, the sector is also facing cost increases, new market demands, and staffing challenges. Simultaneously, new technology means that delivery via autonomous vehicles and drones is quickly becoming a reality, with key commercial sector regulatory approval expected to be rolled out by the end of March 2021. According to recent market research and industry forecasts, the logistics sector is well-positioned for additional growth.

As a whole, the demand of FinTech and technology talent throughout 2020 was steady. While the year was certainly tougher than usual for many businesses, it appeared that most agreed that falling behind on the execution of key technology agendas would only make life more difficult in the long run. Medium and High Frequency Trading firms – often renowned for thriving off instability – accelerated technology hiring to ensure they capitalised on growth opportunities. This was also the case for many FinTech companies and consumer groups in the digital banking sphere. With the post-Brexit hiring landscape well underway, FinTech has been marked for further expansion throughout the UK, which impressively, already has more FinTech unicorns (a startup with a valuation over $1 billion) than the rest of Europe.

In Asia as well as globally, Singapore is one of the leading private banking and wealth management centers. As a country, it has a long history of attracting high net worth individuals (HNWI) thanks to its sound financial regulations, strong legal system and its political and economic stability.

Quantitative analysis is the use of mathematical, statistical and financial methods. Those looking for careers in the field are often quantitative analysts or more frequently termed, a quant. In general, quants tend to specialize in specific, career defining areas which include, derivative structuring or pricing, risk management, algorithmic trading and investment management. The occupation has often drawn similarities to those in industrial mathematics in other industries. For candidates able to search vast databases and identify patterns, such as correlations among liquid assets or price-movement patterns, (trend following or mean reversion) the quant sector is ideally suited. Additional roles also include, statistical arbitrage, quantitative investment management, algorithmic trading, and electronic market making.

Since 2004 the Selby Jennings Quantitative Analytics team has been a foundation of the success of Selby Jennings and the Phaidon International Group as a global organization. Thanks to 15 years of experience in recruiting quants at all levels, the team at Selby Jennings pride themselves on their best-in-class and unrivalled knowledge of the quant sector as well as a diverse client network. As a leading US quant recruiter, Selby Jennings' candidate database consists of over 400,000 professionals that work in quantitative roles ranging from derivative desk quants, modelers, developers, researchers to portfolio managers and quant traders.

The beginning of the month brought the news that the UK Government are planning to extend the Northern Ireland grace period relating to border checks on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) goods, both of which were due to come to an end after March 2021. Logistics UK's Policy Manager for Northern Ireland stated, "Extending the current grace periods for the movement of SPS goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is vital to protect supply chains." This decision means that businesses will not face significant red tape come April. After a year of continuous disruptions to the supply chain and logistics sector, brought on by both the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, this news offered as a welcome relief to many agri-food businesses.

The UK continues to be ahead of the rest of the world in distributing and delivering vaccines. However, this success story would not have been possible without a clear and defined logistical strategy. Dr. Sarah Schiffling, Humanities Logistics Expert at Liverpool John Moores University, explains how there are many active parties that feed into the supply chain in order to get vaccines from factories in England and The Netherlands, to vaccine centres and finally into the nation. Ongoing coordination and alignment, as well as widespread vaccine campaigns, have all been pivotal in ensuring a streamlined process and subsequently mass vaccinations, all the while bringing the UK that crucial step closer to the 'new normal'.

After a tumultuous period for the manufacturing industry - due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - positive data has recently been published in the February 2021 PMIS (purchasing managers index survey). This data highlights strong and accelerated growth in Germany's manufacturing sector. This positive turn is partly due to demand from Asia, the US and Europe, which has led to export sales rising to the highest level since December 2017. According to the Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics (BME), the expectations of manufacturers were very positive with regards to the forecasted increase in production levels over the next 12 months. Furthermore, this highlighted the predictions that demand is expected to rebound even further as COVID-19 constraints are relaxed and consumer confidence resumes.

The growth and development of Hong Kong's logistics industry shows no signs of slowing down, with solid growth predicted until 2025. The trading and logistics industry is the largest among Hong Kong's four major economic pillars, in terms of both jobs and value-added. In 2018, trading and logistics accounted for 21% of the city's GDP and employed around 718,600 people. In the same year, the logistics sector alone accounted for 3.1% of Hong Kong's GDP and 176,900 jobs, whilst transportation services accounted for 29.2% of Hong Kong's service exports. Over the last few decades, air transportation has been increasingly important for Hong Kong's trade, making up a substantial portion of both exports and imports, particularly to China. With all of this in mind, there has never been a more exciting time to explore the opportunities available in the Hong Kong logistics industry.