Foreign Workers Accounted For Majority Of Singapore’s New Jobs In 2025: MOM Report
Most of the new jobs created in Singapore during 2025 went to foreign workers, according to the latest labour market figures released by the Ministry of Manpower.
The report revealed that Singapore added a total of 55,500 jobs in 2025. However, only 11,600 of those positions went to residents, which include Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents (PRs). The remaining 43,900 jobs were taken up by non-residents, mainly foreign workers.
This means nearly four out of every five new jobs created last year were filled by foreigners.
The data reflects Singapore’s continued reliance on foreign manpower in sectors facing labour shortages, particularly construction and other physically demanding industries that often struggle to attract local workers.
Singaporeans Mainly Hired In Finance And Healthcare
According to the report, resident employment growth was largely concentrated in higher-skilled sectors such as financial services and health and social services.
These industries have continued expanding due to rising demand for banking services, wealth management, healthcare support, and Singapore’s ageing population.
The financial sector in particular has remained one of Singapore’s strongest-performing industries, driven by investment activity, fintech expansion, and regional business growth.
Healthcare hiring also accelerated as hospitals, clinics, and eldercare services expanded manpower to cope with increasing healthcare needs.
While resident employment still grew in 2025, the increase was significantly smaller compared to the growth in foreign employment.
Foreign Workers Drove Construction Hiring Boom
The bulk of non-resident employment growth came from the construction sector, where companies continued hiring Work Permit holders to support infrastructure and building projects across Singapore.
Construction firms have faced persistent manpower shortages since the pandemic years, leading employers to rely heavily on foreign labour to maintain project timelines.
The ministry’s figures show that foreign worker demand remained strong even amid broader global economic uncertainty.
Singapore’s outward-oriented industries also benefited from stronger global economic conditions in late 2025, which helped sustain hiring momentum.
Unemployment In Singapore Remained Low
Despite concerns over global economic volatility, unemployment rates in Singapore remained stable.
By December 2025, the overall unemployment rate stood at 2.0 per cent. Resident unemployment was recorded at 2.9 per cent, while citizen unemployment came in at 3.0 per cent.
Long-term unemployment among residents also remained low at 0.9 per cent.
At the same time, labour demand continued to outpace the number of jobseekers. Job vacancies rose from 69,600 in September 2025 to 77,700 in December 2025.
This meant there were still more available jobs than unemployed persons in Singapore by the end of the year.
Retrenchments Stayed Within Normal Levels
Retrenchments remained relatively low in 2025 despite ongoing global economic concerns.
A total of 14,490 workers were retrenched during the year, equivalent to 6.3 retrenchments per 1,000 employees. In the fourth quarter alone, 3,690 workers lost their jobs.
The ministry noted that retrenchment levels remained within non-recessionary norms.
Meanwhile, the proportion of retrenched residents who managed to secure employment within six months improved slightly from 55.4 per cent to 57.4 per cent by the end of 2025.
Government Expects Labour Market To Keep Expanding
The Ministry of Trade and Industry has since upgraded Singapore’s GDP growth forecast for 2026 to between 2.0 and 4.0 per cent.
Authorities expect the labour market to continue expanding this year, although businesses may still remain cautious due to uncertainties in the global economy.
The government also highlighted several workforce support schemes, including SkillsFuture grants, career conversion programmes, graduate traineeships, and temporary financial support for unemployed workers.
More details are available on the official Ministry of Manpower Singapore website.