SINGAPORE: Newly created roles formed 49.3 per cent of the job vacancies available in 2025, an increase from the year before, a report from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) showed on Friday (Mar 20).
Singapore saw an annual average of 75,900 available job vacancies in 2025.
These newly created positions were mainly generated by business expansion. New positions resulting from the restructuring or redesigning of jobs remained a small share, said the ministry in its annual job vacancies report.
In 2024, newly created roles formed 45.7 per cent of the vacancies.
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Last year, information and communications (74.2 per cent), professional services (58.2 per cent) and financial and insurance services (54 per cent) were among sectors with shares of newly created vacancies that were above the overall average of 49.3 per cent.
Of the job vacancies last year, 56.3 per cent were for professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles, while the other 43.7 per cent were for non-PMET roles such as drivers, cooks and construction workers.
The share of available PMET roles increased over the last decade, from 45.4 per cent in 2015.
"Technological developments continue to drive demand for skilled PMETs, particularly in digital and technology‑related roles," said MOM in a press release.
"Software, web, multimedia and game developers and designers remained among the most sought‑after occupations."
Strong hiring demand was also observed for systems analysts, data scientists and applications and systems programmers, including AI and machine‑learning engineers.
Advanced manufacturing and infrastructure projects also supported demand for engineering professionals across various fields.
Among the available PMET jobs, 21.1 per cent required no prior experience, and were suitable for fresh graduates.
The biggest portion of PMET vacancies, 51.1 per cent, required two to five years of work experience.
"The hiring criteria for most job vacancies have broadened beyond requirements for academic qualifications, where employers increasingly emphasised skills over qualifications," said MOM.
Academic qualifications were not the main determinant in hiring for 79.6 per cent of vacancies in 2025, a further increase from 78.8 per cent in 2024.
"A key reason cited by employers was the better outcomes they observed from adopting a skills-based hiring approach. These outcomes could be related to faster hiring, access to a broader talent pool and improved employee performance," said the ministry.
Skills such as software development, systems analysis and data analytics, alongside problem-solving and adaptability, are commonly required for in-demand professions.
Among PMET roles, the share of vacancies unfilled for at least six months rose from 14.4 per cent in 2024 to 16 per cent in 2025, figures from the report showed.
According to MOM's report, employers cited a lack of specialised skills and relevant experience, within roles such as data scientists, teaching and training professionals and civil engineers.
"Overall, firms are expected to remain cautious in their hiring decisions, with the proportion of firms expecting to hire in the next three months remaining modest – 43.3 per cent in December 2025," said MOM.
"Early indications based on polls conducted in January 2026 suggest a pick-up in hiring expectations, pointing to a cautiously positive outlook for labour demand."
The ministry also released its quarterly labour market report on Friday.
Total employment in Singapore grew by 55,500 in 2025, slightly short of the ministry’s estimates released in January. This was an increase from the 2024 figure of 44,500.
In the last quarter of 2025, total employment grew by 17,700, marking the 17th consecutive quarter of growth since the fourth quarter of 2021.
Unemployment rates remained low and stable in December 2025, said MOM. The overall unemployment rate was 2 per cent, the resident unemployment rate 2.9 per cent and the citizen rate 3 per cent.
The resident long-term unemployment rates similarly remained low and stable at 0.9 per cent in December 2025.
Retrenchments were low and within non-recessionary norms, said MOM.
For the full year of 2025, the incidence of retrenchment was 6.3 retrenched per 1,000 employees, or 14,490 retrenched employees.
In the fourth quarter, about 57.4 per cent of residents who were retrenched found a job within six months, a slight increase from 55.4 per cent in the previous quarter.
Over the longer term, the re-entry rate for workers up to six months after retrenchment has been steadily dropping, said director of MOM’s manpower research and statistics department Ang Boon Heng.
If that is extended further to nine months, 12 months or 15 months, the majority of people who are retrenched get employed, he added.
This indicates that people are taking longer to land jobs, which could be contributing to public anxiety that there are no jobs available, but it is more of a "transition issue", said Mr Ang.
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Singapore saw an annual average of 75,900 available job vacancies in 2025.
These newly created positions were mainly generated by business expansion. New positions resulting from the restructuring or redesigning of jobs remained a small share, said the ministry in its annual job vacancies report.
In 2024, newly created roles formed 45.7 per cent of the vacancies.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
Last year, information and communications (74.2 per cent), professional services (58.2 per cent) and financial and insurance services (54 per cent) were among sectors with shares of newly created vacancies that were above the overall average of 49.3 per cent.
Of the job vacancies last year, 56.3 per cent were for professional, manager, executive and technician (PMET) roles, while the other 43.7 per cent were for non-PMET roles such as drivers, cooks and construction workers.
The share of available PMET roles increased over the last decade, from 45.4 per cent in 2015.
"Technological developments continue to drive demand for skilled PMETs, particularly in digital and technology‑related roles," said MOM in a press release.
"Software, web, multimedia and game developers and designers remained among the most sought‑after occupations."
Strong hiring demand was also observed for systems analysts, data scientists and applications and systems programmers, including AI and machine‑learning engineers.
Advanced manufacturing and infrastructure projects also supported demand for engineering professionals across various fields.
Among the available PMET jobs, 21.1 per cent required no prior experience, and were suitable for fresh graduates.
The biggest portion of PMET vacancies, 51.1 per cent, required two to five years of work experience.
"The hiring criteria for most job vacancies have broadened beyond requirements for academic qualifications, where employers increasingly emphasised skills over qualifications," said MOM.
Academic qualifications were not the main determinant in hiring for 79.6 per cent of vacancies in 2025, a further increase from 78.8 per cent in 2024.
"A key reason cited by employers was the better outcomes they observed from adopting a skills-based hiring approach. These outcomes could be related to faster hiring, access to a broader talent pool and improved employee performance," said the ministry.
Skills such as software development, systems analysis and data analytics, alongside problem-solving and adaptability, are commonly required for in-demand professions.
Among PMET roles, the share of vacancies unfilled for at least six months rose from 14.4 per cent in 2024 to 16 per cent in 2025, figures from the report showed.
According to MOM's report, employers cited a lack of specialised skills and relevant experience, within roles such as data scientists, teaching and training professionals and civil engineers.
"Overall, firms are expected to remain cautious in their hiring decisions, with the proportion of firms expecting to hire in the next three months remaining modest – 43.3 per cent in December 2025," said MOM.
"Early indications based on polls conducted in January 2026 suggest a pick-up in hiring expectations, pointing to a cautiously positive outlook for labour demand."
LABOUR MARKET
The ministry also released its quarterly labour market report on Friday.
Total employment in Singapore grew by 55,500 in 2025, slightly short of the ministry’s estimates released in January. This was an increase from the 2024 figure of 44,500.
In the last quarter of 2025, total employment grew by 17,700, marking the 17th consecutive quarter of growth since the fourth quarter of 2021.
Unemployment rates remained low and stable in December 2025, said MOM. The overall unemployment rate was 2 per cent, the resident unemployment rate 2.9 per cent and the citizen rate 3 per cent.
The resident long-term unemployment rates similarly remained low and stable at 0.9 per cent in December 2025.
Retrenchments were low and within non-recessionary norms, said MOM.
For the full year of 2025, the incidence of retrenchment was 6.3 retrenched per 1,000 employees, or 14,490 retrenched employees.
In the fourth quarter, about 57.4 per cent of residents who were retrenched found a job within six months, a slight increase from 55.4 per cent in the previous quarter.
Over the longer term, the re-entry rate for workers up to six months after retrenchment has been steadily dropping, said director of MOM’s manpower research and statistics department Ang Boon Heng.
If that is extended further to nine months, 12 months or 15 months, the majority of people who are retrenched get employed, he added.
This indicates that people are taking longer to land jobs, which could be contributing to public anxiety that there are no jobs available, but it is more of a "transition issue", said Mr Ang.
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