Key points:

  • Singapore job postings rose in June, ending five consecutive declines, but were still down 12.9% over the past year.
  • Despite trending down for nearly three years, Singapore job postings are still 43% above pre-pandemic levels. 
  • Artificial intelligence was mentioned in 14.8% of Singapore job postings in June, while generative AI was cited in 1.7% of postings — both up sharply from a year ago. 

Singapore job postings rose 2.1% in June — the first increase in six months — to be 12.9% lower than a year ago. 

Despite declining for almost three years, down 40% from its peak, Singapore job postings are still 43% above pre-pandemic levels. More importantly, job creation is more than sufficient to keep the unemployment rate low. 

Line and bar graph titled “Change in Singapore job postings on Indeed.” With a vertical axis ranging from -30 to 60%, Singapore job postings rose by 2.1% in June but are down 12.9% over the past year. 
Line and bar graph titled “Change in Singapore job postings on Indeed.” With a vertical axis ranging from -30 to 60%, Singapore job postings rose by 2.1% in June but are down 12.9% over the past year. 

Job postings in almost every sector remain above pre-pandemic levels, while postings in one-in-six sectors are more than double pre-pandemic levels. Demand is highest in sports and pharmacy, at triple pre-pandemic levels, while education, physicians & surgeons, dental, medical information and civil engineering postings are all more than double their pre-pandemic baseline. 

However, severe skill shortages have eased. Two years ago, half of all sectors had posting volumes at least twice their pre-pandemic baseline. That’s since fallen to one-in-six. Recruitment isn’t necessarily easy, but it has certainly become easier recently. 

Line graph titled “Singapore job postings.” With a vertical axis ranging from 0 to 100%, 96% of sectors have job posting volumes above pre-pandemic levels, with 16% of sectors having volumes more than double pre-pandemic levels. 
Line graph titled “Singapore job postings.” With a vertical axis ranging from 0 to 100%, 96% of sectors have job posting volumes above pre-pandemic levels, with 16% of sectors having volumes more than double pre-pandemic levels. 

Recent posting growth mixed across occupations

Around one-quarter of occupational categories experienced posting growth over the past three months, led by a surge in engineering roles. Postings in civil engineering led the way, up 30% over the past three months, ahead of mechanical engineering (+15.4%) and industrial engineering (+10.6%). Other strong performers included dental (+21.4%), sports (+17.0%) and architecture (+13.1%).

Offsetting those gains, however, were sizable falls among veterinary (-31%), security & public safety (-30%), community & social service (-22%) and hospitality & tourism (-22%). 

Healthcare hiring has also softened recently. Postings for personal care & home health fell 18.5% over the past three months, with nursing down 14.5%. Nevertheless, healthcare has been one of the key drivers of Singapore’s employment growth over the past year.  

Table titled “Change in Singapore job postings.” Indeed’s data shows that Singapore job postings for civil engineering, dental and sports rose the most over the past three months. By comparison, postings fell sharply in veterinary, security & public safety and community & social service.  
Table titled “Change in Singapore job postings.” Indeed’s data shows that Singapore job postings for civil engineering, dental and sports rose the most over the past three months. By comparison, postings fell sharply in veterinary, security & public safety and community & social service.  

Adoption of artificial intelligence continues to grow

Usage of artificial intelligence is increasingly common throughout Singapore, and that’s reflected in job creation.  

At the end of June, 14.8% of Singapore job postings mentioned some form of artificial intelligence in their job descriptions. That’s up from 10.1% a year ago. 

Around one-third of tech-related postings mention artificial intelligence — including almost two-thirds of data analytics roles — compared to around one-in-nine non-tech postings. Among non-tech sectors, the AI share was highest in scientific research (37% of postings) and mechanical engineering (32%). 

Mentions of generative AI — including phrases such as ‘large language models’ and ‘ChatGPT’ — began to emerge in 2023. By the end of June, around 1.7% of Singapore job postings mentioned phrases related to generative AI, around 2.1 times higher than a year ago. 

Line graph titled “Singapore AI and generative AI postings.” With a vertical axis ranging from 0 to 15%, artificial intelligence is mentioned in 14.8% of Singapore job postings in June, while generative AI is mentioned in 1.7% of postings. 
Line graph titled “Singapore AI and generative AI postings.” With a vertical axis ranging from 0 to 15%, artificial intelligence is mentioned in 14.8% of Singapore job postings in June, while generative AI is mentioned in 1.7% of postings. 

Conclusion

Hiring in Singapore staged a modest rebound in June, following a sustained period of decline. Overall, Singapore job postings have declined considerably over the past year, yet job creation remains more than sufficient to keep the unemployment rate low. 

Skill shortages persist in Singapore, but are not as severe as they were a year or two ago. Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools continues across the Singapore economy.

Based on these hiring trends, we expect the Singapore job market to remain tight in the near term. However, geopolitical and economic uncertainty may weigh on employer confidence and hiring plans. With the trading environment in flux, business leaders may adopt a more cautious approach to headcount in the months ahead.