'We expect this downward trend to continue in the near term,' expert says
Job postings in Singapore extended their three-year downward trend after falling by 3.1% in October, according to a new report from Indeed.
This is the eighth monthly decline in job postings this year, with overall job ads now 17.9% lower than a year ago.
"Singapore job postings fell further in October and we expect this downward trend to continue in the near term," said Callam Pickering, Indeed's APAC senior economist.
"There are no signs yet that job posting volumes will stabilise."
Despite the downward trend, the report noted that Singapore's job market remains tight following a post-pandemic job boom that keeps the country's unemployment rate low.
Job postings data
Job postings remained 32% above pre-pandemic levels, while job ads in 86% of occupations remain above their pre-pandemic baseline from February 2020, according to the report.
The highest demand was recorded in the following industries:
- Pharmacy (+181% compared to pre-pandemic levels)
- Sport (+122%)
- Hospitality & Tourism (+119%)
- Veterinary (+98%)
- Education & Training (+94%)
- Physicians & Surgeons (+93%)
Meanwhile, job postings for a third of occupational categories went up over the past three months, with retail and healthcare sectors logging strong increases.
Remote work offers in Singapore
When it comes to remote work, the Indeed report indicated that more employers are offering the benefit than a year ago.
A total of 8.2% of job postings mention phrases such as "work from home" or "work remotely" in their job descriptions, up from the 7.7% in 2024.
"Changes in remote share can reflect changing attitudes among employers, particularly regarding work-from-the-office mandates. It may also reflect employers' attempts to attract more candidates," the report read.
Remote job offers are typically low in most occupations, with the share of job postings mentioning the benefit just below five per cent in around half of occupational categories.
According to the report, remote opportunities are more common in IT infrastructure, operations, and support roles (17.2%) in the October quarter.
The occupational category is just ahead of insurance (15.2%) and sales (14.9%) roles when it comes to remote opportunities.
The Singapore government has been taking steps to improve access to flexible work arrangements (FWAs) in workplaces. It recently mandated employers to consider formal requests for FWAs from their employees, boosting the proportion of firms offering flexible work to 72.7% in 2024.
