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Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025

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Introduction

1. Singapore’s labour market held up well in 2025, with real incomes rising, labour underutilisation remaining low, and most employees in permanent employment. Although a smaller share of residents switched jobs in the past year, the majority of those who moved continued to see income gains. However, the overall labour force participation rate (LFPR) edged down due to population ageing. Amid global economic uncertainties, continued efforts to strengthen workforce resilience through skills development, career facilitation, and inclusive pathways remain important to support long-term employment outcomes.

2. These are the key findings from the “Labour Force in Singapore Advance Release 2025”, an annual release by the Manpower Research and Statistics Department (MRSD) of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).1 The report provides early findings from the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey.

Main Findings

Singapore’s labour force participation rate eased due to population ageing, but remained high compared to OECD countries

3. The LFPR for residents aged 15 and over declined slightly for the fourth consecutive year – from 70.5% in 2021 to 68.2% in 2024 and further to 67.9% in 2025 – reflecting population ageing. Nonetheless, participation across most age groups remained broadly stable or higher than last year and Singapore’s overall LFPR continues to rank among the highest across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.2
4. Among residents aged 25 to 64, the female LFPR has improved significantly over the decade from 74.1% in 2015 to 80.5% in 2025, while the rate for their male counterparts remained high at 91.8% in 2025. This sustained progress underscores ongoing efforts to support more inclusive workforce participation.

Real incomes continued to grow 

5. Workers at both the 20th percentile (P20) and median (P50) saw higher nominal income3 levels (P20: $3,164, P50: $5,775) from 2024 (P20: $3,026, P50: $5,500). After adjusting for inflation, real incomes grew year-on-year for both the P20 and median workers (P20: 3.8%, P50: 4.3%), broadly in line with productivity growth over the longer term. Real income growth at the P20 over the recent five- and ten-year periods (both 2.9% p.a.) were higher than growth at the median (2020 to 2025: 1.6% p.a., 2015 to 2025: 2.1% p.a.).

6. The expansion of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) has continued to uplift lower-wage workers, narrowing the income gap. The P20 to P50 income ratio rose to 0.55 in 2025, from 0.52 in 2020 and 0.51 in 2015. Continued productivity and skills upgrading will help sustain inclusive income growth. 

Although the share of residents who switched jobs in the past year declined, the majority of job switchers continued to see real income gains

7. The proportion of employed residents who had changed jobs in the last one year declined from 7.6% in 2024 to 6.2% in 2025, particularly among younger workers aged 25 to 29, partly reflecting reduced job-seeking activity.4 Even so, the quality of job moves remained positive, with six in ten job switchers5 experiencing real income increases, suggesting continued opportunities for upward mobility.

Unemployment stayed low across occupational groups 

8. Overall, resident unemployment and long-term unemployment rates remained low and stable, alongside continued availability of job opportunities. Across occupational groups, the unemployment rate6 of Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) held broadly steady at 2.8%, while that of non-PMETs declined from 3.4% to 2.8%. The long-term unemployment rates also eased for both groups, from 0.7% to 0.6% for PMETs and from 0.6% to 0.5% for non-PMETs.

Labour underutilisation remained low, and a high share of employees held permanent jobs

9. The number of discouraged workers remained low, at 7,400 or 0.3% of the resident labour force in 2025. The time-related under-employment rate declined further from 2.3% in 2023 and 2024 to 1.9% in 2025. The proportion of employees in permanent jobs rose to a new high of 90.8% with increases seen in most industries, including growth sectors such as Professional Services, Health & Social Services, and Information & Communications.

Conclusion

10. The overall labour market has performed well, notwithstanding global economic headwinds. Looking ahead, global uncertainties will continue to weigh on hiring, particularly in outward-oriented sectors.7 To sustain positive labour market outcomes, the Government will continue to support workers in building up relevant skills and finding careers that match their professional skills and personal needs.

11. Investing in Singaporeans remains the top priority of the Government, and we call on employers and workers to make full use of available programmes to enhance their competitiveness. We encourage workers to take charge of their career health by continuing to upskill, reskill, and be open to new opportunities. We also encourage employers to continue improving workplace practices to attract and retain a wider talent pool, including seniors.

a. Employers can refer to the 19 Jobs Transformation Maps (JTMs) available on Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s website to understand the impact of sectoral trends such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation and sustainability on their businesses and job demands. Enterprises can use JTMs to identify future skill requirements, pre-emptively redesign jobs and reskill workers for jobs of the future.

i. To make their jobs more productive and attractive to workers, employers can tap on the Support for Job Redesign under Productivity Solutions Grant. 

ii. To reskill workers, employers can tap on WSG’s Career Conversion Programmes, which allow workers to undergo industry-recognised training with up to 90% salary support. In addition, the Mid-Career Pathways Programme provides attachment opportunities for mature workers, allowing them to gain industry-relevant experience while receiving a training allowance. 

b. Career Health SG aims to empower Singaporeans to take charge of their careers and access better job opportunities. Through the CareersFinder feature on WSG’s MyCareersFuture job portal, individuals can explore career and training options. Singaporeans can also tap on career coaching and guidance services provided by WSG and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), alongside a wide range of SkillsFuture training programmes like the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. Lower-wage workers are encouraged to tap on Workfare Skills Support to upgrade their skills and boost their career mobility via training. These resources can help workers improve their career resilience and navigate uncertainty with greater confidence.

c. To ensure that we continue to harness the productive capacity of the senior workforce, the Singapore Government, NTUC, and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have set up the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment (TWG-SE) to review and refresh our senior employment policies. The TWG-SE is studying ways to enhance the employability of senior workers and promote age-friendly jobs and workplaces. 

d. Flexible work arrangements such as flexi-hours and flexi-load can support workers who may otherwise not be able to work due to personal reasons such as caregiving. The Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests, which have been implemented from 1 December 2024, will further promote the adoption of flexible work arrangements. The Workplace Fairness Legislation will also strengthen protections against discrimination and shape positive workplace norms to better attract and retain talent from a multi-generational and diverse workforce.

For More Information

12. The full report is available online on MOM’s Research and Statistics Department website at stats.mom.gov.sg.
 

FOOTNOTE

  1. The data pertain to the resident population for the period of June each year, comprising Singapore citizens and permanent residents. The final report of the Labour Force in Singapore 2025 will be released in January 2026. Data for previous editions of the Labour Force in Singapore are available online on the Ministry of Manpower’s Research and Statistics Department website at https://stats.mom.gov.sg. Details on the survey methodology as well as the concepts and definitions are in the “Factsheet on Comprehensive Labour Force Survey” appended with this press release.
  3. Based on latest available figures (2024 for OECD countries, 2025 for Singapore), Singapore’s labour force participation rate ranks 7th, ahead of countries like Switzerland, Estonia, and Australia. Source: OECD countries – OECD Data Explorer. Comparison was made to the OECD member countries, most of which are high-income countries similar to Singapore. The OECD also provides a comprehensive statistical database that facilitates harmonised comparisons across a broad spectrum of indicators.
  5. Income refers to gross monthly income from employment, including employer/platform operator CPF contributions, of full-time employed residents.
  7. The proportion of employed residents actively looking out for new jobs has declined from 7.3% in 2024 to 6.2% in 2025.
  9. These refer to full-time resident employees aged 25 to 64 years who changed jobs in the last one year. Income increases refer to those with real income growth of at least 5% over the year. In comparison, for those who have stayed with their employer for at least a year, about one in four full-time resident employees had a real total wage increase of at least 5% in 2024. Source: Survey on Annual Wage Changes, Manpower Research and Statistics Department, MOM.
  11. The PMET and non-PMET unemployment and long-term unemployment rates are non-seasonally adjusted figures and refer to June periods. They should not be analysed alongside the monthly unemployment rates which are adjusted for seasonality to facilitate monthly analysis.
  13. MRSD’s forward-looking polls showed that the proportion of firms who plan to hire in the next three months increased modestly from 43.7% in June 2025 to 44.1% in September 2025, but still lower than 50.7% in December 2024.