Singapore’s labor market continued to grow in 2025, with nearly half of all job vacancies due to newly created roles, highlighting ongoing business expansion and structural changes across major industries.

According to data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), 49.3% of jobs were newly created, up from 45.7% in 2024. These vacancies occurred because economic sectors expanded and restructured, and new areas developed, including information and communications, professional services and financial services.

Demand remains strongest for specialists in technology and engineering. The most sought-after professionals include software developers, data scientists, systems analysts and artificial intelligence (AI) specialists. Employers are also increasingly expecting workers to be comfortable using AI-enabled systems in their daily tasks.

At the same time, hiring practices are changing. Nearly 80% of vacancies did not list academic qualifications as the main criterion, with employers focusing more on candidates with limited to moderate experience.

The market remains fairly accessible, with 31.5% of roles requiring no experience, and an additional 20.2% requiring about one year of experience. The largest share of vacancies is at the mid-level, typically requiring two to five years of experience and some technical or industry-specific skills.

Overall, hiring conditions have improved, with long-term unfilled vacancies dropping to 17.1% in 2025; however, specialized roles, especially in tech, remain more challenging to fill. Meanwhile, remote work opportunities increased to 22.7% from 14.1% in 2024.

Local hiring now surpasses overseas hiring, with a declining proportion of roles aimed at foreign recruitment, reflecting a growing preference for local talent.

Nevertheless, hiring is expected to remain cautious but steady, with ongoing demand for skilled workers, indicating that current skills continue to dominate, even amid a broad slowdown in job opportunities.