What is the most sought-after job in Singapore?

By Minh Nga January 2, 2026 | 10:31 pm PT

A teacher supervises students as they spray paint on a model aeroplane during an enrichment class at a secondary school in Singapore in 2016. Photo by Reuters

Teachers continued to rank as Singapore's most sought-after professionals in 2025, according to data released earlier this week by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The MOM’s job vacancy and labor market surveys showed that teaching and training professionals topped the list of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) vacancies in 2025, retaining the same position as in 2024.

They were followed by commercial and marketing sales executives, which ranked third in 2024, and software, web and multimedia developers, which ranked second last year.

Among non-PMET jobs, civil engineering and building construction laborers topped the list, followed by waiters and shop sales assistants.

The survey reflects demands as employers intensified efforts to upskill their workforce in artificial intelligence and digital capabilities.

As a result, teaching and training roles became increasingly competitive, even as attention continued to focus heavily on technology positions such as software developers.

Professional networking platform LinkedIn also reported a sharp rise in hiring in Singapore's education sector, with job listings increasing 65% year on year in December 2024.

The upward momentum continued into 2025, with listings rising to 66% in January and 69% in February, pointing to what LinkedIn described as a "clear and sustained increase" in education-related roles, according to Chua Pei Ying, the company’s Asia-Pacific head economist, as reported by The Straits Times.

Industry observers attribute the strong demand to the growing premium employers place on specialized, future-ready skills.

"Skills are the new currency of the labor market. These are not skills that are very easily available. They are core to Singapore's economic strategy," Dhilip Kumar, head of strategic talent partnerships for Southeast Asia at Aon Consulting, a global human capital and risk advisory firm, told Channel News Asia.

"For example, the infocomm media powers digital transformation across industries, while finance underpins regional trade and investments. Teaching and software development reflect the need for building the talent for the future," he added.