Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Data comes from the most recent Ministry of Manpower report.
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower has just released the latest Labour Market summary report, and you could have read in the news about how resident employment increased by 8,800 in 2024, or how local workers are gradually moving up to better-paid professions.
But that’s in the past—now, let’s look at the future. If you’re looking for a job (whether you’re unemployed or looking for a switch), where should you look for good employment opportunities?
Which industries are hiring? Which occupations are in demand?
Well, it turns out that MOM has published data about that, too, so let’s take a look.
Good vacancies
While the total number of vacancies as of December 2024—heading into 2025—has gone up to about 77,500, about 36,000 are in clerical and physical job categories, most of which end up going to foreigners who can accept much lower pay.
Meanwhile, openings for Professionals, Managers, Executives & Technicians (PMET) roles—the most desirable jobs for Singaporeans—hit around 41,500, or about 55% of the total.
The vast majority of them are found in services, but there are still a few thousand in more industrial sectors, like manufacturing and construction.
| Number of vacancies | Vacancy rate | |
| Services | 35,000 | 3.4% |
| Manufacturing | 3,700 | 2.0% |
| Construction | 2,300 | 2.5% |
The government keeps hiring
Out of these three categories, like in the previous quarters, by far, the most eager employer is the government, looking for individuals to fill roles in public administration and education.
Health & Social Services also face high PMET vacancies, and these roles are bound to at least partly represent demand from the public bodies as well, given the prolonged shortages of qualified personnel and rising needs as the society is ageing.
Here are the available openings for PMET positions by occupational group:
| Occupational group | Estimated number of vacancies / Dec. 2024 |
| Public Administration & Education | 8100 |
| IT & Other Information Services | 4900 |
| Health & Social Services | 4200 |
| Financial Services | 4100 |
| Legal, Accounting & Management Services | 2900 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2400 |
| Construction | 2300 |
| Electronic, Computer & Optical Products | 1100 |
| Food & Beverage Services | 900 |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Services | 900 |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Services | 900 |
| Architectural & Engineering Services | 800 |
| Other Professional Services | 800 |
| Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment | 700 |
| Insurance Services | 700 |
| Petroleum, Chemical & Pharmaceutical Products | 600 |
| Retail Trade | 600 |
| Real Estate Services | 600 |
| Other Administrative & Support Services | 600 |
| Transport Equipment | 500 |
| Telecommunications, Broadcasting & Publishing | 500 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 500 |
| Water Transport & Supporting Services | 400 |
| Accommodation | 400 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 300 |
| Other Manufacturing Industries | 300 |
| Other Transport & Storage Services | 300 |
| Land Transport & Supporting Services | 200 |
| Air Transport & Supporting Services | 200 |
| Cleaning & Landscaping | 200 |
| Paper/Rubber/Plastic Products & Printing | 100 |
| Security & Investigation | 100 |
| Others* | 500 |
Source: Ministry of Manpower
Tech jobs and finance remain at the top, as ever—meaning that there are close to 10,000 vacancies in some of the best-paid professions waiting to be filled by the right people.
And, as we know from other official statistics, the median monthly salary among degree holders reached S$8650 last year and is expected to cross S$9000 in the next. These are the sort of positions which can pay that much.
Especially as, in the case of IT, more than one in twenty of all jobs are still vacant.
Industries with the largest gaps
Talent gaps are identified by the number of vacancies relative to the total number of jobs in a particular industry (with the average for all PMET professions being 3.2%, meaning that 1 in 31 jobs is currently unfulfilled).
Here are the ones with the most acute needs:
| Occupational group | Number of vacancies in proportion to all positions |
| IT & Other Information Services | 1 in 19 |
| Accommodation | 1 in 22 |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Services | 1 in 22 |
| Public Administration & Education | 1 in 22 |
| Legal, Accounting & Management Services | 1 in 25 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1 in 26 |
| Health & Social Services | 1 in 26 |
As I mentioned (and as in previous quarters), it is IT that is at the top of the list, followed by Accommodation, which is still filling roles as Singapore attracts more tourists post-pandemic, together with social services and public administration.
Now, when it comes to the density of demand—the number of companies looking to expand their headcounts, we have ManpowerGroup’s latest data for that:
The percentages you see here are the Net Employment Outlook (NEO) score, which is the net share of companies that are looking to employ vs. those who are expecting to cut headcounts (for instance, if 60% of employers in a given sector are seeking to hire and 10% want to lay people off, the NEO is 50%).
In combination with the Ministry of Manpower figures, it shows us where many businesses may be looking to fill a small number of roles each vs. those where fewer companies are looking to recruit but offer more openings (e.g. when you look at Healthcare vs. IT).
To complete the picture, here’s the data by company size:
As it turns out, large companies—presumably many of them in the IT sector—are expressing higher demand for talent.
This might indicate that while layoffs have still been experienced in the tech sector around the world, Singapore is not only mostly shielded from their impact, but also, local workers shouldn’t be too worried about re-employment if they are among the unlucky ones.
There are still many jobs waiting for you.
On the other hand, those in healthcare or logistics may have fewer openings but far more companies to choose from this quarter.
Something for everyone
Perhaps the most positive aspect of the reported data is that there seems to be something for everyone.
Yes, techies and bankers are enjoying plenty of opportunities, but if math isn’t your strong suit, you can still work in the public sector.
There are many job opportunities in healthcare, law, trade and construction—and, relative to the job market, also in the arts.
It doesn’t seem like any education condemns you to unemployment in Singapore, and you should be able to find a permanent position quite regardless of your skillset.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.
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