Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, opinions expressed below belong to the author. Data comes from the latest official release by HDB.
Like most countries, Singapore is grappling with a shortage of qualified workers in its economy. With very low unemployment and more than 1.5 vacancies for each of those relatively few who are jobless, the pool of local talent is clearly very shallow.
So shallow, in fact, that the government is willing to grant bonus points to qualified foreigners seeking a local Employment Pass, making it easier for them to obtain it. But the tool it uses is just as valuable to locals.
Every year or two, depending on evolving needs, the Ministry of Manpower publishes a list of strategic occupations which endure the most acute shortages of qualified workforce—the SOL, “shortage occupation list”, which has just been updated for 2025.
Needless to say, this list is valuable not only to potential immigrants but to Singaporeans as well, as it highlights the most in-demand professions in strategic sectors of the local economy—clearly a boon to job applicants seeking to make the best career decisions.
Not only are jobs on the list in high demand but the shortage of applicants appears to be quite persistent, as there are not enough candidates even when the door to migrating to Singapore is opened a bit wider.
This increases your value as a potential hire if you’re looking for a better job in the city and also helps those making decisions about what to do in the future, as the talent deficit doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
The list for 2025
The newest SOL, applicable from January 1, 2025, consists of seven industries and 30 occupations. Some of them are expanded with specific job titles that would qualify, wherever necessary:
Agritech
- Alternative protein food application scientist
- Novel food biotechnologist
Financial services
- Financial or Investment advisor (ultra-high / high net worth / family office / philanthropy)
- Investment advisor
- Relationship manager
- Wealth planner
Green economy
- Carbon project or programme manager
- Carbon programme manager
- Carbon project originator
- Carbon project manager
- Carbon standards & methodology analyst
- Carbon rating analyst
- Carbon standards & methodology developer
- Carbon trader
- Carbon verification & audit specialist
Healthcare
- Clinical psychologist
- Diagnostic radiographer
- Diagnostic radiographer
- Magnetic resonance imaging technologist
- Mammographer
- Medical diagnostic radiographer
- Radiologic technologist
- Occupational therapist
- Ergotherapist
- Occupational therapist
- Occupational therapist manager
- Occupational therapist researcher
- Physiotherapist
- Aquatic physiotherapist
- Clinical physiotherapist
- Physical therapist
- Physiotherapist manager
- Physiotherapist researcher
- Sports physiotherapist
- Registered nurse (and related)
Infocomm technology
- Artificial intelligence (AI) scientist / researcher or engineer
- Applications / systems programmer
- Cloud architect / engineer / specialist
- Cyber risk specialist
- Cyber compliance specialist
- Cyber governance specialist
- Cyber risk analyst
- Cyber risk manager
- Cyber threat monitoring analyst
- Cyber security consultant
- ICT resilience analyst
- ICT resilience manager
- ICT security consultant / specialist
- Information security analyst
- Information technology security specialist
- Cybersecurity architect
- Cyber defense incident responder
- Cyber incident responder
- ICT security operations analyst
- ICT threat monitoring analyst
- Information systems security developer
- Cybersecurity operations specialist
- Cyber defense incident responder
- Cyber incident responder
- ICT security operations analyst
- ICT threat monitoring analyst
- Data scientist
- Chief data scientist
- Data engineer
- Head of data analytics
- Digital forensics specialist
- Computer forensics expert
- Computer forensics investigator
- Cyber forensics expert
- Cyber forensics investigation specialist
- Cyber incident investigation specialist
- Cyber threat investigation specialist
- Digital forensic expert
- Digital forensics analyst
- ICT forensics expert
- Information forensics expert
- Penetration testing specialist
- Ethical hacker
- Exploitation analyst
- ICT security tester
- Network security tester
- Penetration testing specialist
- Security penetration tester
- Security penetration testing manager
- System security tester
- Vulnerability analyst
- Digital product manager
- Software and applications manager (technical lead/ supervisor)
- Application development manager
- Head of applications development
- Software and applications manager
- Software development manager
- Software developer
- Applications developer
- Blockchain architect / developer / engineer
- Computer software engineer
- Cryptography architect / developer / engineer
- Platform engineer
- Platform engineering manager
- Programmers and software development professional / engineer
- Web and mobile applications developer
Maritime
- Marine superintendent
- Marine technical superintendent
- Marine/vessel manager
- Marine superintendent (engineer)
- Technical superintendent (marine)
Semiconductor
- Semiconductor engineer
- Semiconductor engineer
- Integrated circuit designer
- Microchip engineer
- Product engineer
- Test engineer
- Instrumentation and control (IC) engineer
- Process engineer
Strategic needs
As you can see, the list reflects an array of professions across Singapore’s several strategic sectors: food, healthcare, green economy, and technology, with very specific roles in the maritime sector and financial services specifically catering to the very wealthy, who have descended on the city-state in recent years.
Besides the ever-present IT sector, Singapore needs experts in diversifying its food sources with the use of technology, carbon trading experts to invigorate its nascent market, and to fill the gaps in healthcare services, particularly among nursing staff.
Within IT, cybersecurity springs to attention, with many roles listed amid the growing dependence on technology and proliferation of cybercrime. It does look like a safe sector to plan your tech career in, even amid the rapid growth of AI.
Picking any of these bodes well for your employment prospects not only in 2025, but for many years ahead, given that Singapore’s shortage problems are not likely to go away anytime soon, as the city is small and can only allow so many people to migrate in each year.
That means qualified locals are likely to be even more valuable.
- Read other job-related articles we’ve written here.
Featured Image Credit: Wiki Commons