Data & ML hiring in the rest of Asia-Pacific eases from its September peak
New postings are down 6% over the past 30 days, and the weekly pace has cooled 10% from its mid-September high, even with 527 roles still open.
is what the typical role asks for. 13% ask for 10 years or more.
49% of open roles state years148 new roles in the last 30 days, against 157 the 30 days before, at the same companies.
Companies read for 60 days or moreat 264 companies hiring in the Rest of Asia-Pacific.
Issue of 2 November 2026This week's read
There are 527 open Data & ML Engineer roles across 264 companies in the rest of Asia-Pacific right now, and the typical role stays open 37 days. New postings in the last 30 days came in at 148, down from 157 the 30 days before, a 6% drop.
The weekly numbers tell the same story. Postings peaked the week of 14 September at 48 new roles. By the week of 26 October they had slipped to 43, a 10% fall from that peak. The market is still active, just not as active as it was in mid-September.
Employers are asking for experience. Among roles that state a year requirement, the median minimum is 5 years, and 13% want 10 years or more. Only 49% of roles state a year requirement at all. By title, 53% are mid-level, 19% senior, 11% principal, 13% junior and 4% lead, so most of the volume sits in the middle rather than at the top or bottom.
Hiring is spread thin. The eight biggest employers, Deloitte SEA, Micron, NVIDIA, HSBC, CTBC Holding, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, PETRONAS Internship and PWC, account for just 19% of all open roles between them. Remote work is rare too: only 2% of roles are remote, so most of this hiring expects you in an office.
On skills, Python is named in 69% of postings and AI and machine learning in 58%, both well ahead of SQL at 41%. Cloud and ML tools follow at a distance: AWS 18%, Azure 16%, PyTorch 16%, retrieval-augmented generation 16%. Certifications barely register, with CFA, FRM and Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer each named in just 1% of postings.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Plan for a longer search
The typical role stays open 37 days, and new postings are down 6% over the last 30 days. Build in time rather than expecting a quick turnaround.
- Lead with Python and AI/ML
Python appears in 69% of postings and AI and machine learning in 58%, well ahead of SQL at 41%. These are the skills showing up most, so make sure they are visible on your resume.
- Look past the biggest names
Deloitte SEA, Micron, NVIDIA and the rest of the top 8 employers only account for 19% of open roles combined. With 264 companies hiring, widen your search beyond the familiar names.
Momentum
New Data / ML roles each week
Last 30 days: 148 new roles, against 157 the 30 days before (-6%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 29 |
| 14 Sep | 48 |
| 21 Sep | 35 |
| 28 Sep | 36 |
| 5 Oct | 25 |
| 12 Oct | 46 |
| 19 Oct | 36 |
| 26 Oct | 43 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Data / ML roles
264 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 19% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles |
|---|---|---|
| Deloitte SEA | 19 | |
| Micron | 18 | |
| NVIDIA | 13 | |
| HSBC | 12 | |
| CTBC Holding | 11 | |
| The Hong Kong Jockey Club | 10 | |
| PETRONAS Internship | 8 | |
| PWC | 8 |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Data / ML roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 507 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Financial services 7%, Semiconductors 4%, Banking 3%. Certifications named: CFA 1%, FRM 1%, Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer 1%. 2% of open roles say they are remote.
Cite this report