Malaysians top the list of job seekers actively looking for a job in Singapore

The most number of job seekers looking for opportunities in Singapore come from Malaysia (32%), followed by those from India (16%), and the Philippines (7%).

Interest from foreign job seekers to work in Singapore shot up by 96% in the period between August 2020 to August 2023, and a lot of this growth was pinned down to the border reopening in 2021,whereby interest from foreign job seekers shot up by 55.4% between August 2021 to Aug 2022.

Based on data from Indeed, the most number of job seekers looking for opportunities in Singapore come from Malaysia (32%), followed by those from India (16%), and the Philippines (7%). These job seekers are looking for opportunities in sectors such as:

• Administration (11%)
• Technology (7%)
• Management (5%)
• Sales (5%), and
• Manufacturing (5%).

In terms of roles by job titles, the data showed that roles such as administrative assistant (3%), warehouse worker (3%), quality surveyor (2%), production employer (1%), and account executive (1%) are popular in terms of applications.

Data tabulated from October 2023 highlighted that Singapore has a greater concentration of jobs in management, tech, engineering and banking compared to Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Noting that Singapore has always been a magnet for global talent due to its open economy and rich opportunities, Callam Pickering, APAC Senior Economist at Indeed, added: "The surge in job seekers from abroad is a testament to the city-state's resilience and its ability to provide a favourable environment for both local and foreign professionals.”

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