The grass is pretty green here
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Data sourced from the Labour Force In Singapore Advance Release 2025 report.
It’s not often that I stumble upon a piece of information that fundamentally changes my opinion about anything, but today I have to admit that it is that rare occasion.
Because Singapore is both small and dependent on international business conducted through it, I’ve always believed that to reach the higher rungs of the corporate ladder, you had to leave the country at some point in your career, before returning to it after collecting at least a few years of experience abroad.
But the latest data provided by the Ministry of Manpower has completely shattered this conjecture.
Yes, the share of full-time resident employees (that is, citizens and PRs) who have worked abroad is greater among the best paid of them, but it is only between 12.8% for those making between S$20,000 and under S$30,000 per month, and 16.8% in the S$30,000 and above bracket (this time excluding employer CPF).
Image Credit: Labour Force In Singapore Advance Release 2025, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower
This means that around 85% of resident workers in Singapore drawing a monthly salary of at least S$20,000 have no overseas work experience at all (the reason I had to merge two income groups will become apparent in a second).
But wait, there’s more.
This figure includes Permanent Residents, most of whom (save for those who were born in Singapore but never opted for citizenship or who came as students and stayed) have obviously worked abroad. Given that the share of PRs in society is about 13%, we can surmise that they constitute a large part (or even the majority) of the statistics presented above.
It would then mean that over 90% of actual Singapore citizens have never worked out of the country and yet are among the best-paid employees here.
Who are they?
Now, the reason I had to combine the two income groups presented by MOM in its latest report is that the ministry does not provide more details about the people earning specifically over S$30,000 per month.
It does, however, for those at S$20,000 and above (also excluding employer CPF). This is how we can examine who they are and what they do in Singapore.
While we don’t have the breakdowns for 2025 yet—they won’t be in for at least another month or two—we can take a look at the official figures from 2024, as they shouldn’t differ too much (all data below comes from the MOM).
As of last year, there were 91,400 full-time resident employees who earned S$20,000 per month or more. The vast majority, 81,300, were employees, with 6,500 classified as employers (i.e., business owners) and another 3,600 worked on their own. 68% of them were men and just 32% were women.
There are a few hundred youngsters already bringing home around a quarter of a million or more, but realistically, income peaks in your 40s and early 50s, after you’ve collected enough experience and climbed a few steps of the ladder.
Predictably, when it comes to occupation, managing teams or entire organisations pays the most, unless you’re a highly valued, sought-after specialist.
58% of the high earners were employed as managers or administrators, with another 40% as professionals (think engineers, programmers, designers, and so on).
While there’s good money to be made in every industry, some provide far better opportunities than others. It’s no surprise that financial services come out on top, employing almost a third of all high earners.
What might be unexpected is the I&C sector coming only 4th, with fewer than 10,000 Singaporeans paid S$20,000 or more there.
Most importantly, nearly all of them accomplished it without ever setting foot outside of Singapore for work. The world is already here and is willing to pay well those with the right skills.
Read more stories we’ve written on the latest job trends here.
