PMET jobs dominate vacancies in 2016

Slots for such jobs were up 48% to 25,800 in the past year.

Nearly five in 10 job vacancies in Singapore in 2016 were for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), latest figures from the Ministry of Manpower said.

These openings were mainly education, healthcare, infocomm and service-related occupations. The steady increase in PMET share of job openings from 39% (or 24,300) in 2013 to 48% (or 25,800) in 2016 reflects restructuring of the economy and workforce. The increase in PMET vacancies was mainly from financial & insurance services, professional services and information & communications. At the same time, there was a decline in the non-PMET vacancies, mainly in accommodation & food services, construction, wholesale & retail trade and manufacturing.

Meanwhile, among the non-PMET occupations, the highest vacancies were for service & sales workers (11,840), followed by cleaners, labourers & related workers (6,540), clerical support workers (3,160), plant & machine operators & assemblers (2,970) and craftsmen & related trade workers (1,910). Across sectors, the non-PMET vacancies were mainly in accommodation & food services, administrative & support services and wholesale & retail trade, which typically had lower staff retention.

"The share of PMET vacancies in recent years has risen. It is expected to continue to rise as the economy restructures in tandem with the improving skills and education profile of the workforce. Looking ahead, one key priority is to maximise matching between jobseekers and job vacancies," MoM said.