Job vacancies continue to decline in Singapore

Due to reasons such as the lifting of border restrictions and employers raising wages, job vacancies in Singapore fell from 123,800 in June 2022 to 106,000 in September and then to 104,500 in December.

Reporting these numbers in the annual Job Vacancies 2022 report, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) added that the proportion of job vacancies unfilled for six months or more fell from 35% in 2021 to 27% in 2022.

MOM attributed this to the active backfilling of non-professional, manager, executive and technician (non-PMET) roles, such as those in manufacturing and construction, after border restrictions were lifted.

“The tight labour market also spurred employers to raise wages to improve the attractiveness of some of the jobs on offer, leading to an increase in job take-up rates,” MOM added.

The proportion of PMET vacancies increased from 53% of all vacancies in 2021 to 56% in 2022, while the number of non-PMET roles fell from 47% of all vacancies in 2021 to 44% in 2022.

READ: Less educated young employees in Singapore lack training opportunities

While tech companies around the world continue a wave of layoffs, MOM’s report highlights that technology talents such as software, web and multimedia developer, as well as software and applications managers, continue to be in high demand.

Tech talents are in demand not only within the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, but in other fields as well, such as in professional services and financial services, said Ang Boon Heng,  Director of manpower research and statistics at MOM, reported Today.