Forum: Job quality and earning power also matter to those seeking employment - The Straits Times

Singapore’s latest labour market figures should prompt us to ask not only how many jobs are being created, but also whether they are suitable for those seeking them.

Ministry of Manpower (MOM) figures showed that employment grew by 27,700 in the third quarter of 2026, even as 4,800 workers were retrenched (Retrenchments in Singapore inch up in Q3 2026, Oct 30). Non-residents accounted for most of the employment growth, mainly in construction and manufacturing, while resident growth was concentrated in essential and public services.

These figures raise an important question: Are there enough suitable, well-paying opportunities for Singaporeans, particularly experienced workers displaced from sectors such as technology and finance?

Consider a 50-year-old professional retrenched after decades in the workforce. Months later, he accepts a job at half his previous salary.

He is employed again. But has he recovered his career and earning power, or simply learnt to survive on less?

This concern is not merely hypothetical. MOM disclosed in October that among retrenched resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians who returned to work at lower pay, the median wage reduction was about 25%.

Our familiar advice is to upskill, reskill and adapt. These are important. But we should distinguish between three possible problems: workers lacking skills employers need; employers whose hiring requirements and salary offers do not align with available talent; and too few jobs offering reasonable wages and career prospects.

Each requires a different solution.

Employers face genuine cost pressures, and some skills shortages are real. Yet if workers are expected to continually upgrade themselves, shouldn’t employers also review their hiring requirements, salary offers and willingness to train promising candidates?

We cannot reskill our way into jobs that do not exist.

Nor will another certificate necessarily bridge the gap between what employers demand and what they are prepared to pay.

MOM already tracks re-employment and wage recovery. More detailed, regularly published breakdowns by age, occupation and industry could help reveal where workers face the greatest difficulties.

We should also examine whether unfilled vacancies reflect skills gaps, hiring expectations or compensation mismatches.

Employment growth matters. But so do job quality and earning power.

Before asking Singaporeans to upgrade themselves yet again, shouldn’t we also ask whether the jobs on offer – and employers’ expectations – need upgrading?Ives Tay