Boosting Singapore's resident employment: Focus is on enabling locals to participate meaningfully in the workforce

This was raised in Parliament in context to the finding in Q2 2026 that non-resident employment growth outnumbered resident employment growth four to one.

Singapore will continue to support resident employment through efforts to attract companies, encourage employers to create and redesign good jobs, and help mid-career workers transition into growth sectors.

This was shared in a written answer to a parliamentary question filed by Member of Parliament Patrick Tay Teck Guan for the sitting on 3 November 2026, where the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) first clarified the context for the comparison between resident and non-resident employment growth.

In Q2 2026, resident employment grew by 2,200, while non-resident employment grew by 9,200. The latter was driven mainly by Work Permit holders taking on jobs in Construction and Manufacturing that are unlikely to be filled by residents.

On the other hand, resident employment grew across a different range of sectors, including Transportation & Storage, Public Administration & Education, Health & Social Services, Professional Services, Financial Services, and Information & Communications.

With this clarification in mind, the focus it said was "to enable as many Singaporeans as possible to participate meaningfully in the workforce and access good jobs", which is being done through several fronts.

Measures to support resident employment

MOM said its economic agencies will continue to attract companies to invest and set up operations in Singapore, so that jobs in growth sectors can be accessible to residents.

The Ministry will also continue to support employers in creating and redesigning good jobs through the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package.

In addition, the Fair Consideration Framework aims to ensure Singaporeans are fairly considered for job opportunities. MOM said the work pass framework is also calibrated to complement, rather than displace, the local workforce.

Career conversion and reskilling support

Beyond these measures, MOM will continue to provide career conversion and reskilling support to help mid-career Singaporeans transition into growth jobs with good longer-term prospects.

This includes the Career Conversion Programmes and SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme.

MOM noted that as the resident workforce grows more slowly, sustaining employment and income growth for Singaporeans will increasingly depend on productivity, job quality and career progression, alongside efforts to grow resident employment headcount.

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