Singapore ranks among world’s top cities for tech talent

The city-state tied for fourth place with Mumbai and Chennai, making it the only non-Indian city in the top five, global professional services firm Colliers reported, as cited by The Business Times.

"Singapore is the only non-Indian market in the top five, driven by strong one-year hiring and a high volume of open job posts, signaling a concentrated effort to hire for the 10 key tech occupations," Colliers said.

Rising Asia-Pacific markets such as Seoul and Sydney have also seen growing demand for artificial intelligence and cybersecurity professionals, the report noted.

In a separate one-year hiring index, Singapore placed eighth globally, supported by robust recruitment and numerous openings in key technology roles, particularly in fast-growing areas such as AI.

The Colliers report assessed over 200 global markets based on talent acquisition and pipeline, venture capital funding, labor strength, and sector composition.

It also highlighted a widening polarization in global tech talent, with the U.S., China, and India accounting for a disproportionate share of top-performing markets. The San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and New York City secured three of the top five global spots. Meanwhile, India and China each had five cities in the global top 50.

Tourists walk in Singapore on Jan. 27, 2023. Photo by Reuters

In a separate study released in early June, real estate firm CBRE named Singapore one of 12 global technology "powerhouses." It was the smallest of five Asia-Pacific tech hubs featured in CBRE’s Global Tech Talent Guidebook 2025 and was praised for its strong tech ecosystem, skilled workforce, and business environment that attracts global talent and investment.

However, it remains one of the costliest cities for running a tech business, ranking 24th out of 115 markets for software engineers’ wages, while its office rents are second only to Paris.

Ravi Nippani, head of regional industries and solutions at Mercer Asia, said CBRE’s findings align with Mercer’s March survey, which ranked Singapore third in Asia after China and India for reported tech job numbers. "Singapore’s tech ecosystem is quite mature and vibrant in terms of roles, encompassing both front-line and supporting positions," Nippani said, as quoted by The Straits Times. "When compared with the sheer size of the working population in China and India, Singapore is more than punching its weight and can rightly be given powerhouse status."

Other studies have also highlighted Singapore’s strength in tech adoption and innovation. The Global Innovation Index 2024 ranked the city-state fourth globally, while the International Property Rights Index 2024 placed it second, behind Finland.