Hiring sentiment improves in a sign of stronger labour market
Labour market conditions in Singapore reported stronger growth in the third quarter as total employment significantly expanded and hiring sentiment improved, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Total employment expanded by 24,800 in Q3 2025, higher than the 10,400 reported in the previous quarter and the 22,300 in the same period last year.
"The increase was supported by employment growth in both resident and non-resident employment," MOM said.
Resident employment went up for most sectors, with stronger increases in sectors such as Health and Social Services as well as Financial Services.
Outward-oriented sectors, such as Information and Communications and Professional Services, registered subdued growth because of global economic headwinds, according to the MOM report.
For non-resident employment, growth was mainly concentrated in Work Permit Holders in the Construction and Manufacturing sectors, while it remained "relatively muted" in other sectors.
Unemployment, retrenchments in Singapore
Unemployment remained low in September 2025 at two per cent, while retrenchments remained contained at 1.4 retrenched per 1,000 employees.
"Retrenchments remained stable or declined across most sectors, with majority continuing to be due to business reorganisation or restructuring," the report read.
Hiring sentiment in Singapore
Meanwhile, hiring sentiment in Singapore went up for the fourth quarter, with the proportion of firms expecting to hire in the next three months rising to 44.1%.
"Expectations varied across sectors, with outward-oriented industries reporting weaker sentiment," the report read.
Firms planning wage increases also continued to go down this year, declining to 19.3% in September.
"These trends suggest that while overall employment growth is likely to be sustained, wage growth may moderate amid cost pressures, and resident employment growth may lag that of non-residents, given the already high resident labour force participation rate," the report read.
