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Oral Answer to PQ on Overqualification and Measures to Address

NOTICE PAPER NO. 792, 799, 804, 807, 837 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 5 MAY 2026

1407. Mr David Hoe [6 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of findings that about one in five Singapore workers are overqualified for their jobs (a) whether the Ministry has studied how workers voluntarily stepping into lower-level or part-time roles for caregiving or family reasons fare when seeking to return to jobs commensurate with their qualifications and experience; and (b) whether targeted return-pathways support can be strengthened for such workers.

1436. Dr Wan Rizal [5 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the breakdown of the resident workforce that is involuntarily overqualified by (i) age group (ii) sector and (iii) highest qualification; and (b) whether the Ministry tracks wage scarring or slower career progression among workers assessed to be involuntarily overqualified.

*2062. Mr Yip Hon Weng [6 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower with one in five Singapore workers overqualified for their roles according to a study released on 14 April 2026 (a) what is the overarching strategy to address this mismatch, beyond existing measures on promoting skills over academic qualifications; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure that tertiary courses and career guidance align with industry needs to help students make informed choices.

*2084. Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo [5 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of the findings that one in five resident workers are overqualified for their roles according to a study released on 14 April 2026 (a) what are the implications for underemployment among younger workers, women and lower income groups; and (b) what preventative measures are in place to reduce persistent mismatch and strengthen skills utilisation.

*2085. Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo [5 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) how does the Ministry assess the impact of rising overqualification on (i) long-term career pathways and (ii) wage progression; and (b) what steps are being taken to enhance (i) job redesign (ii) skills-based progression and (iii) workforce readiness for future shifts in jobs and job scopes.

*2219. Ms Cassandra Lee [6 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower in view of findings that overqualification is more prevalent among workers under 35 early in their careers, (a) how does the Ministry track whether these workers progress into roles commensurate with their qualifications over time; and (b) what support measures are in place to help them transition into more suitable positions aligned with their skills.

*2275. Ms Cassandra Lee [7 May]: To ask the Minister for Manpower in light of the Ministry's report regarding overqualification in Singapore 2025 and noting that caregivers are taking roles below their qualifications (a) how effective have the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests been in improving caregivers’ access to flexible work; and (b) whether further measures are planned to support job redesign without harming career progression.

Answer:

Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to address the following PQs on overqualification together:

a. Oral and written questions filed by Ms Jessica Tan and Dr Wan Rizal for today’s sitting;

b. Oral and written questions filed by Mr Yip Hon Weng, Ms Cassandra Lee and Mr David Hoe for subsequent sittings.

I would also like to invite Mr Yip, Ms Lee and Mr Hoe to seek clarifications today and consider withdrawing their questions filed for future sittings if their questions have been answered.

2. 19.4% of the resident workforce was overqualified in 2025. This is below the high-income countries’ average of 21.6%. The vast majority of cases were voluntary. Of these overqualified, about 9 in 10, or about 17.7% of the resident workforce, were voluntarily overqualified. The remaining 1 in 10 of overqualified individuals were involuntarily overqualified. As Ms Jessica Tan and Mr David Hoe noted, the voluntarily overqualified could include women and caregivers who may choose roles to explore a new career direction or to better fit around their family circumstances, even if they are overqualified for those roles.

3. In contrast, the involuntary overqualification rate was low at 1.7% of the resident workforce, and this has remained stable over the past decade. To Dr Wan Rizal’s question, involuntarily overqualified workers tend to be younger and tertiary-educated. This is consistent with typical early career pathways where workers may initially take on roles that do not fully utilise their qualifications before transitioning into better-matched roles as they gain experience. The sector with the highest number of involuntarily overqualified workers was Transportation & Storage. Members are encouraged to refer to MOM’s Occasional Paper for more details.

4. Dr Wan Rizal and Ms Tan asked about the impact of overqualification on long-term career pathways. MOM currently does not track longitudinal outcomes of overqualified individuals. However, broader labour market outcomes remain favourable. If you look at the median income of full-time employed tertiary graduates over the past decade, the median income rose from $5,800 to $7,600 over the past decade. This reflects continued wage progression.

5. We remain committed to help all individuals find jobs that can meet their personal needs and career aspirations. This includes helping lower-wage workers, which Ms Tan asked about, find jobs that can better utilise their skills, as they may be in entry-level jobs that do not do so.

6. Mr Yip Hon Weng, Ms Cassandra Lee and Ms Tan asked about our broader strategies to reduce skills mismatches. At the pre-employment phase, the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) work closely with industry partners to equip students with industry-relevant technical competencies and skills.

7. Beyond initial qualifications, all of our workers are encouraged to, and must embrace lifelong learning. The merger of Workforce Singapore (WSG) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) into the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) - later today I will be passing a Bill on that - will help our workers do so by creating a single touchpoint for training, career guidance and job opportunities. I hope members of the House will support the Bill unanimously. By bringing together the capabilities of both agencies, SWDA and its tripartite partners will be able to provide personalised career and skills insights and guidance to help jobseekers find options that better match their skills and preferences.

8. Efforts by SWDA and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) will also build on existing upskilling and reskilling programmes that support our workers. These include Career Conversion Programmes, the Mid-Career Pathways Programme, and the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme. Female caregivers returning to work from a career break can also access career guidance and skills training through WSG’s herCareer initiative.

9. To address diverse needs and working arrangement preferences, MOM and tripartite partners promote a range of work and career options. This includes supporting enterprise job re-design for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) through the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+). Based on MOM’s surveys, around 70% of firms offered FWAs in 2025. This is up from 50% in 2019.