Singapore Overqualification Study Released

A new study by the Singapore — Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore, released on April 14, found that nearly one in five workers (19.4%) were overqualified for their jobs in 2025, an increase from 16.3% in 2015. However, the vast majority (17.7% of the resident workforce) voluntarily chose these roles for reasons like work-life balance, flexible hours, personal interests, or better remuneration, particularly in sales. Only 1.7% of the resident workforce were involuntarily overqualified. This rate is lower than the average of 21.6% in other high-income countries, despite Singapore having a more highly educated workforce (64% with tertiary education). The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design conducted a separate survey with similar findings. The data suggests that Singapore's labor market has successfully absorbed a growing pool of tertiary graduates, with median monthly pay for graduates rising from $5,800 to $7,605 over the last decade. The Singapore — Ministry of Manpower also noted that younger workers often start in overqualified roles but progress to better-matched jobs with experience. To address skills gaps and overqualification, the Singapore — Ministry of Manpower is encouraging skills-based hiring, and the government plans to merge Singapore — SkillsFuture Singapore and Singapore — Workforce Singapore to enhance skills development and job matching.