AI skills emerge as Singapore's hardest-to-fill roles despite easing talent shortages: Report

Singapore’s talent shortage is beginning to ease, with 71% of employers reporting difficulty filling roles in 2026, down sharply from 83% in 2025 and slightly below the global average of 72%, according to the latest Global Talent Shortage Survey from ManpowerGroup. 

The figure marks the city-state’s lowest level of reported hiring strain since 2021, signalling modest improvement in overall labour market conditions even as demand rapidly shifts toward artificial intelligence capabilities.

However, the easing headline masks a significant shift beneath the surface. For the first time, AI-related capabilities have surged to the top of Singapore’s hardest-to-fill skills list. 

The report also found that AI model and application development (26%) and AI literacy (25%) now top employers’ hiring concerns, pushing traditional IT and data roles down to seventh place at 17%.

Beyond AI, engineering roles (24%) rank third among the hardest-to-fill skills in Singapore, followed by operations and logistics (19%) and sales and marketing (19%). The mix points to sustained demand for both deep technical expertise and commercially critical functions.

Importantly, employers continue to place strong emphasis on behavioural capabilities. Professionalism and work ethic (34%), along with adaptability and willingness to learn (34%), are the most sought-after attributes, followed closely by communication, collaboration and teamwork (33%). The pattern reinforces the enduring value of human-centric skills even as digital adoption accelerates.

Talent shortages also remain widespread across sectors. Utilities and natural resources report the highest scarcity at 79%, followed by construction and real estate (77%) and public sector, health and social services (77%). Professional, scientific and technical services (76%), finance and insurance (72%), and hospitality (71%) also face significant hiring pressures, pointing to broad-based workforce constraints.

To address structural gaps, 94% of employers in Singapore say they are deploying a mix of workforce strategies. Upskilling and reskilling initiatives (26%) are the most common response, while organisations are increasingly offering greater location flexibility (22%) and schedule flexibility (21%) to attract and retain talent.

Linda Teo, Country Manager of ManpowerGroup Singapore, said the findings highlight the speed at which workforce requirements are evolving as AI becomes embedded across industries.

“The rise of AI capabilities to the top of Singapore’s hardest-to-find skills list underscores how rapidly workforce demands are evolving,” she said. “As AI becomes embedded across a wider range of roles, developing AI literacy will be essential so people can use these tools with confidence and sound judgement.”

Teo noted that organisations are responding by stepping up investment in upskilling and adopting more flexible talent models that prioritise potential alongside experience. At the same time, she stressed that human capabilities remain indispensable in an AI-driven workplace.

“Core human strengths such as professionalism, adaptability, communication, and teamwork remain critical complements to technology,” she said, adding that AI is reshaping work rather than replacing it. “Organisations that pair technological advancement with opportunities for people to grow will be best positioned to thrive amid talent scarcity.”

Globally, the shift toward AI talent is even more pronounced. Based on responses from more than 39,000 employers across 41 countries, 72% report difficulty filling roles, down slightly from 74% last year. 

For the first time, AI model and application development (20%) and AI literacy (19%) top the global list of hard-to-find skills, overtaking engineering and traditional IT capabilities.

“The rise of AI skills to the top of the shortage list reflects how quickly the talent landscape is evolving,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair and CEO. He added that companies are increasingly hiring for potential while building AI literacy across their workforce to ensure new technologies are applied with sound judgment.

Despite the modest easing in overall shortages, the report underscores that the global talent crisis is entering an AI-defined phase where organisations must balance advanced technical capability with enduring human strengths to remain competitive.