WEAKER HIRING IN EXPORT-ORIENTED, CONSUMER-FACING SECTORS
Hiring will likely be weaker in sectors that depend heavily on global demand or discretionary spending, said Persol Singapore’s managing director and country head Foo See Yang.
These include some export-focused manufacturing areas, parts of traditional retail and general office support roles, he said.
Employers in these sectors are using more automation, shared services and contract staff, as well as replacing only essential roles and combining similar functions, leading to fewer vacancies and more competition for each job, said Mr Foo.
Robert Walters’ Ms Poltock agreed on softer hiring for back-office roles as well as in consumer-facing sectors like traditional retail, parts of the food and beverage industry and lifestyle services.
Consumer-facing sectors are grappling with high rental costs, rising manpower costs and tighter margins that limit their ability to grow headcount, she said.
With the exception of the electronics sector, manufacturing was still singled out by several experts who agreed that export-oriented segments may experience weaker hiring in 2026.
“Global demand remains uneven, and firms in these sectors tend to manage uncertainty by controlling headcount and investing more in automation rather than labour expansion,” said Ms Poltock.
She also painted a “more nuanced picture” in the technology sector, with subdued hiring for generalist and “non-core tech roles” and higher demand for specialised roles.
“Companies are increasingly focused on (return on investment), leading to fewer roles that do not directly support revenue growth or transformation priorities,” she said.
Similarly, Randstad’s Mr Blasco observed that employment in outward-oriented sectors like general professional services and some areas of technology has eased.
“The ‘weakness’ here isn’t necessarily a lack of business, but rather a structural shift where routine administrative tasks are being automated or moved to shared services,” he said.
NAVIGATING THE JOB HUNT
The top PME vacancies in 2025 were for teaching and training professionals, commercial and marketing sales executives and software, web, multimedia and game developers and designers, according to Manpower Ministry data.