Singapore job postings slip again in October, but demand stays above pre-pandemic levels

Singapore’s hiring landscape softened again in October, extending a three-year downward trend in job postings even as employers continue to operate in a relatively tight labour market. According to new data from Indeed, job ads dropped another 3.1% during the month, marking the eighth decline recorded this year. Overall postings now sit 17.9% lower than the same period in 2024.

Indeed’s APAC senior economist Callam Pickering said the slowdown is likely to continue in the near term, noting that there are “no signs yet that job posting volumes will stabilise.” Even so, he stressed that Singapore’s job market has not lost its underlying strength, supported by low unemployment and lingering momentum from the post-pandemic hiring boom.

The platform’s analysis shows job postings remain 32% above their pre-pandemic baseline. A large majority of occupational categories – around 86% – also continue to register higher demand compared to February 2020. Some industries are hiring far above that benchmark: pharmacy roles are up 181%, sport by 122%, hospitality and tourism by 119%, and veterinary jobs by nearly 100%. Education, physicians, and surgeons also remain in strong demand.

In the last three months alone, a third of job categories saw an uptick in postings, with retail and healthcare showing particularly solid gains.

Remote work availability has edged higher as well. The share of roles mentioning terms such as “work from home” reached 8.2% in October, compared with 7.7% a year earlier. Tech infrastructure and support roles lead the field, with 17.2% of postings offering some form of remote option, followed by insurance and sales jobs.

The government’s push to expand flexible work has also played a part. Earlier this year, employers were formally required to consider staff requests for flexible arrangements, a shift that has helped raise the proportion of organisations offering FWAs to 72.7%.