Singapore’s hiring demand for tech workers spikes as businesses expand

As 49.3% of job vacancies were new roles, up from 45.7% in 2024, the data indicated that that labor demand continued to be supported by business expansion, rather than replacement hiring alone, according to the latest annual job vacancies report by the Ministry of Manpower, as cited by The Straits Times.

People walk out for a lunch break at Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on August 22, 2022. Photo by AFP

Sectors including information and communications, professional services, and financial and insurance services recorded shares of newly created vacancies above the overall average.

Among the most sought-after roles were software, web and multimedia professionals, as well as game developers. Systems analysts, data scientists, and applications and systems programmers also ranked highly.

Overall, there were 158 vacancies for every 100 job seekers in December 2025, down from 164 in December 2024.

Expectations for workers to use AI-enabled systems are also rising, with software development and data analytics skills increasingly required in high-demand roles across finance and engineering.

"These jobs, which involve tasks with high AI potential, will require workers to develop fluency in using AI-enabled tools," said the manpower ministry in a press release.

Beyond academic certificates

The ministry noted that employers are increasingly looking beyond academic credentials, citing benefits such as faster hiring and improved employee performance.

Close to 80% of vacancies did not list academic qualifications as the primary criterion, up from 78.8% in 2024.

Employers remained open to candidates with limited to moderate experience.

The report showed that 31.5% of vacancies required no prior experience, while 20.2% t required one year of experience. The remainder required more than two years of experience.

This reflects a "sizeable share of vacancies" open to fresh graduates and new entrants, the ministry said.

Entry-level vacancies stood at 32,500 in December 2025, down from 34,600 a year earlier.

The report also highlighted the growing prevalence of remote work. The share of vacancies that can be performed remotely rose from 14.1% in 2024 to 22.7% in 2025.

This signals a "gradual shift in how some roles can be organised", the ministry said, potentially supporting greater labour force participation among workers who benefit from flexible arrangements, such as caregivers.

Teaching and training professionals were the most in-demand role among Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMET) jobs.

They were followed by commercial and marketing sales executives in the second place, and software, web and multimedia developers in the third place.

Noting the number of entry-level PMET roles available, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said that this means companies are continuing to invest in Singapore, as reported by Channel News Asia.

"Our priority is to ensure Singaporeans are well-positioned to access these emerging roles, especially as job scopes and skills continue to evolve," he wrote.