Ministry of Manpower has released data on job vacancies in Singapore with a breakdown by industry
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author.
Alongside its quarterly labour market update, the Ministry of Manpower released the latest data on job vacancies in Singapore, with a breakdown by industry, providing insights into where the employment opportunities lie this autumn.
Let’s see how the numbers compare against the same time last year. Please note that the figures published this Sep are presented as at Jun and include private companies employing 25 persons or more as well as the public, government sector, and rounded.
Overall, the number of vacancies dropped by about 5.5%, from 82,600 to 78,100. Among them, the number of PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives & Technicians) openings shrank by 4.85%, from 45,300 to 43,100, making up about 55% of available jobs.
Who’s hiring?
Like last year, the public sector is the most hungry employer, although the number of vacancies on offer dropped by 4.4%. Meanwhile, the best-paid industry, finance, climbs to 2nd from 3rd in 2024, after an over 20% jump in openings over the same point last year.
In 3rd place, rounding out the podium, is the next top payer, the IT sector, sliding down a bit after a 12% drop in available openings.
| Industry | Number of vacancies Jun 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration & Education | 8600 | -4.44% |
| Financial Services | 5300 | +20.45% |
| IT & Other Information Services | 4800 | -12.73% |
| Health & Social Services | 3400 | -19.05% |
| Construction | 2500 | +8.70% |
| Legal, Accounting & Management Services | 2400 | -25.00% |
| Wholesale Trade | 2200 | no change |
| Manufacturing of Electronic, Computer & Optical Products | 1400 | no change |
| Architectural & Engineering Services | 1100 | -8.33% |
| Other Professional Services | 1000 | no change |
| Manufacturing of Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment | 800 | +14.29% |
| Food & Beverage Services | 800 | no change |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Services | 800 | no change |
| Other Administrative & Support Services | 800 | -11.11% |
| Real Estate Services | 700 | -12.50% |
| Retail Trade | 600 | -14.29% |
| Telecommunications, Broadcasting & Publishing | 600 | -25.00% |
| Insurance Services | 600 | -25.00% |
| Other Manufacturing Industries | 500 | +66.67% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 500 | +66.67% |
| Water Transport & Supporting Services | 500 | no change |
| Manufacturing of Transport Equipment | 500 | -28.57% |
| Air Transport & Supporting Services | 400 | no change |
| Manufacturing of Petroleum, Chemical & Pharmaceutical Products | 400 | -33.33% |
| Accommodation | 400 | -33.33% |
| Manufacturing of Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 200 | no change |
| Land Transport & Supporting Services | 200 | no change |
| Other Transportation & Storage Services | 200 | -33.33% |
| Cleaning & Landscaping | 100 | no change |
| Manufacturing of Paper / Rubber / Plastic Products & Printing | 100 | -66.67% |
| OTHERS | 400 |
As you can see, most industries are reporting declines in the number of available vacancies, which can be really painful in smaller, more specialised professions where even a few dozen jobs less means a proportionately larger drop in career opportunities.
Of course, everything is relative in the labour market—not only the number of job postings, but also the size of the entire industry, the number of applicants and how big the gap that employers are trying to fill is.
| Industry | Vacancy rate in 2025 | Vacancy rate in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| IT & Other Information Services | 5.1% | 6.0% |
| Public Administration & Education | 4.7% | 5.1% |
| Accommodation | 4.3% | 6.0% |
| Other Professional Services | 3.9% | 4.3% |
| Air Transport & Supporting Services | 3.8% | 3.7% |
| Other Community, Social & Personal Services | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 3.5% | 2.9% |
| Financial Services | 3.5% | 3.0% |
| Health & Social Services | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Architectural & Engineering Services | 3.0% | 3.4% |
| Legal, Accounting & Management Services | 3.0% | 4.2% |
| Manufacturing of Electronic, Computer & Optical Products | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| Other Manufacturing Industries | 3.0% | 2.2% |
| Real Estate Services | 2.9% | 3.5% |
| Other Administrative & Support Services | 2.8% | 3.7% |
| Telecommunications, Broadcasting & Publishing | 2.8% | 3.7% |
| Insurance Services | 2.6% | 3.4% |
| Food & Beverage Services | 2.5% | 2.6% |
| Water Transport & Supporting Services | 2.5% | 3.1% |
| Construction | 2.4% | 2.9% |
| Retail Trade | 2.4% | 2.7% |
| Manufacturing of Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment | 2.3% | 2.0% |
| Manufacturing of Paper / Rubber / Plastic Products & Printing | 2.1% | 3.9% |
| Wholesale Trade | 2.1% | 2.4% |
| Cleaning & Landscaping | 2.0% | 2.2% |
| Manufacturing of Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Manufacturing of Petroleum, Chemical & Pharmaceutical Products | 1.7% | 2.2% |
| Manufacturing of Transport Equipment | 1.6% | 2.1% |
| Land Transport & Supporting Services | 1.5% | 3.4% |
| Other Transportation & Storage Services | 1.2% | 1.4% |
| OTHERS* | 3.8% | 2.2% |
And by its size, it’s the IT sector that is still in search of talent, with over 5% of all jobs open to hiring. Nevertheless, that gap is visibly smaller than last year and it’s a similar story with most industries, save for outliers like, again, finance, as well as arts and, to a lesser degree, subcategories in domestic manufacturing.
That last finding may bode well for the sector’s resilience to the global tariff upheaval started by the US, but we’ll have to wait a few months before drawing any final conclusions.
Featured Image Credit: imtmphoto/ depositphotos