Hiring falls 5% YoY despite recent monthly gains

The Advertising, Public Relations & Media sector and the Education sector led the recovery, both recording 7% MoM growth.

Singapore’s hiring activity saw a 5% YoY decline, despite growing by 3% MoM, according to jobs platform foundit.

The Advertising, Public Relations & Media sector and the Education sector led the recovery, both recording 7% MoM growth. The uptick in advertising was fuelled by greater digital marketing and brand-building efforts, whilst education hiring reflected growing investment in upskilling and professional development.

The Engineering, Construction & Real Estate sector also showed healthy momentum, rising 6% MoM, while Retail, Trade & Logistics, and Manufacturing & Automotive each saw 5% MoM growth—driven by sustainability efforts and changing operational needs.

In contrast, sectors like Oil & Gas, Shipping, Government, and FMCG reported flat hiring activity.

Across job functions, technology roles in Software, Hardware, and Telecom were the top performers, with 2% MoM growth. Legal roles, though slower MoM, saw a 19% YoY increase, as companies ramped up hiring amidst expanding regulatory and compliance needs.

Meanwhile, functional roles in Marketing, HR, Engineering, Sales, Medical, and Legal posted 1% MoM growth, indicating steady, broad-based hiring. Roles in Hospitality, Customer Service, Finance, and Logistics remained unchanged.

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