{"id":7071758,"date":"2026-10-01T19:31:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7071758"},"modified":"2026-10-01T19:31:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:31:21","slug":"spore-fresh-grads-earn-more-but-have-fewer-jobs-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7071758","title":{"rendered":"S’pore fresh grads earn more but have fewer jobs in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Singapore\u2019s starting salaries may be on the rise, but the number of entry-level roles is shrinking, reported global professional services firm Aon in its latest 2026 Salary Increase and Turnover Study<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report, released on Sept 23, surveyed over 1,200 organisations in more than 20 industries across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n

It showed a 2.5% year-on-year salary increase for entry-level employees, alongside a 3.2% drop in entry-level headcount from 2025, indicating an increasingly tough job market for those just entering the workforce.<\/p>\n

The report is in line with a broader softening in Singapore\u2019s graduate job market.<\/p>\n

A joint survey<\/a> by the country\u2019s six autonomous universities released earlier in Mar found that 83.4% of recent graduates who sought jobs were employed within six months of their final exams. This was down from 87.1% in 2024, continuing a downward trend since 2022.<\/p>\n

Aon\u2019s findings also point to a shift in employer expectations for new workforce entrants. This comes as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on an increasingly prominent role in the workplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is changing the first rung of the career ladder, but it does not remove the need to build future talent,\u201d said Rahul Chawla, partner and Head of Talent Solutions for Southeast Asia at Aon.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompanies should redesign graduate roles around problem solving, judgment, human skills and the ability to work effectively with AI, rather than reduce entry opportunities and risk creating a capability gap in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singapore salaries showed slowest growth in SEA<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The broader salary picture was more muted in Singapore. <\/p>\n

Overall, wages in the city-state grew by 4.1% in 2026, down from 4.3% in 2025, marking the slowest growth among its Southeast Asian peers. Meanwhile, Vietnam saw the highest salary increase at 6.6%, followed by Indonesia\u2019s 5.4%.<\/p>\n

In Singapore, Retail & Hospitality saw the highest salary increase at 4.5%, followed by Life Sciences & Medical Devices at 4.3%, and Technology at 4.2%.<\/p>\n

Regarding attrition, Singapore\u2019s financial services sector saw the highest involuntary turnover rate at 8.1%. Technology saw the second highest at 5.7%, and then came Consulting, Business & Community Services\u00a0at 4.9%.<\/p>\n

Amid advancements in AI, several banks<\/a>, including DBS<\/a> and Standard Chartered<\/a>, had earlier announced job cuts.<\/p>\n

For Aon\u2019s study, organisations were also asked which skills were most in demand. Leadership and people management skills were most in demand, chosen by 49% of organisations, followed jointly by data and analytical skills, as well as AI and automation skills, at 48% each.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe organisations gaining a competitive edge are investing in continuous and targeted upskilling now, before a skills gap becomes a hiring crisis,\u201d said Evon Lock, Director of Talent Solutions in Southeast Asia at Aon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are building capabilities and infrastructure internally so employees can grow into the new roles AI is creating.\u201d<\/p>\n

More layoffs and fewer jobs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Image Credit<\/em>: Shadow_of_light\/ depositphotos<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aon\u2019s findings come amid a broader slowdown in Singapore\u2019s labour market.<\/p>\n

On Sept 21, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported that retrenchments rose to 4,620 in Q2 2026, up from 3,830 in the first quarter. This was the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Job vacancies, meanwhile, fell to 68,600 in Jun from 73,300 in Mar.<\/p>\n

The ministry said this mainly reflected fewer vacancies for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in sectors such as financial services and information and communications. Entry-level PMET vacancies, however, remained \u201cbroadly stable and sizeable,\u201d making up 45.3% of all job openings in June.<\/p>\n

Despite the overall decline, vacancies still outnumbered unemployed people, at 1.48 per unemployed person as of Jun.<\/p>\n

The Government has also introduced measures to help fresh graduates gain work experience and move into full-time employment.<\/p>\n

Nearly half of the graduates who completed the Government\u2019s Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) programme by end-Jul 2026 went on to secure employment, MOM said in Sept.<\/a><\/p>\n

More than 590 of the programme\u2019s 800 places had been filled as of end Jun<\/a> and the scheme will be extended to the 2026 graduating cohort.<\/p>\n