New report shows recent decline offsetting recent gains in job posting volumes
Job postings across Singapore dropped for the first time in three months to reach its lowest level since 2021, according to new data from Indeed.
Its latest Hiring Lab Report revealed that job postings fell 4.5% in February, offsetting prior gains, and pushing job ad volume down 12% from a year ago.
"Singapore's job market took a step back in February after a few months of more optimistic data. Job postings are now at their lowest level since March 2021," the report read.
According to the report, further moderation in labour demand is anticipated amid the conflict in the Middle East.
"The Singapore economy will face some stiff economic headwinds this year as the conflict in the Middle East triggers higher inflation and increased cautiousness from households and businesses alike. We expect that job opportunities will continue to moderate over the course of 2026," it added.
It noted, however, that Singapore remains "well placed" to absorb the impact of geopolitical uncertainty and the weaker global economy.
Shift in job ads volumes
The IT Infrastructure, Operations, and Support category saw the biggest three-month gain in job ads of 19%, followed by Arts and Entertainment (15.9%), and then Software Development (15.5%).
"Interestingly, some of the strongest gains were recorded in occupations that have a high exposure to AI transformation," the report read.
But these gains were offset by a major three-month decline in job ads for Childcare (29%) and Dental (22.6%) roles, according to the findings.
Job postings for Physicians and Surgeons, as well as Construction, also saw major declines in job ads of 18.1% and 16.1%, respectively.
Despite the drop, Indeed noted that Singapore's post-pandemic job boom was so large that the current volume is "still sufficiently high" to keep the unemployment rate low.
In fact, 92% of occupations are still above their pre-pandemic baseline from February 2020, including eight per cent with more than double their pre-pandemic levels.
These industries include pharmacy (+149% compared to pre-pandemic levels), sports (+124%), hospitality & tourism (+121%), and real estate (+104%).
Remote work in Singapore
Meanwhile, Indeed's Hiring Lab Report also revealed that jobs referencing remote work and work-from-home went up 8.6% in February.
This is up slightly from the 8.4% a year ago, and the post-pandemic low of 6.9% recorded in late 2022.
"While the national remote posting share has been broadly unchanged over the past year, that hides a lot of occupational variation," the report read.
Jobs offering remote work declined in the following industries:
- Insurance (-7.5 percentage points)
- Human resources (-6.0 percentage points)
- Architecture (-5.3 percentage points)
- Electrical engineering (-3.6 percentage points)
On the other hand, remote opportunities were most common in IT systems and solutions (15.6%), followed by sales (15.5%), and the media and communications (14%).
Large gains in remote opportunities were also observed in social science (+4.5 percentage points) and real estate (+3.5 percentage points).
