Talent shortages are emerging as one of the defining challenges for employers. Photo by Freepik
Talent Shortages 2025: How Employers Can Stay Ahead
As Singapore enters 2025, talent shortages have become a defining challenge—impacting hiring strategies and workforce planning across sectors.
Singapore’s Talent Landscape: What the Data Reveals
- The Ministry of Manpower reports that total employment growth slowed to 2,300–2,400 jobs in Q1 2025, down significantly from 7,700 jobs in the previous quarter.
- Job vacancies have climbed from 77,500 in Dec 2024 to 81,100 in March 2025, nudging the vacancy rate up to 3.2%.
- Worryingly, more than 82% of employers in 2025 report difficulty finding skilled talent, up from 41% just four years ago.
This points to a market with slower job growth, rising vacancies, and widespread hiring difficulty. Add in the global competition for talent and the result is a talent gap many businesses are struggling to fill.
Why Employers Are Feeling the Crunch
- Slowed hiring and cautious job growth are making talent acquisition increasingly competitive.
- Specific skills shortages—especially in sectors like tech, fintech, healthcare, and AI—amplify the challenge. The MOM’s 2025 Shortage Occupation List (SOL) spans 30 key roles across seven industries.
- Shrinking local talent pools and tight unemployment rates mean long-term strategic hires are harder to secure.
5 Strategies to Stay Ahead of Talent Shortages
1. Embrace Temp-First Hiring Models
Leveraging contract staffing can help fill gaps quickly while giving flexibility during market uncertainty.
2. Tap Into Employer-of-Record (EOR) Models
By partnering with a trusted EOR like Elitez, businesses can access compliant hiring across borders without the heavy setup — a win for fast turnaround and legal safety.
3. Build Talent Pipelines Strategically
Proactively develop and nurture talent pools—focusing on in-demand skills and internship-to-hire pathways.
4. Differentiate Beyond Salary
With salaries rising (2–5% projected increases), employers who also offer meaningful career development, flexibility, and culture will attract serious candidates.
5. Use Data to Make Smarter Hires
Track vacancy trends (e.g., spike in PMET roles as 55% of total vacancies) and skills demand to prioritize recruitment and resource allocation.
How Elitez Can Help you Navigate the Talent Crunch
Elitez doesn’t just fill roles — we bring data-led insight to every hire.
- We monitor demand-supply gaps across sectors to tailor hiring strategies.
- We deploy temp staffing, EOR, payroll, and RPO services based on careful demand analysis.
- Advocate for employer agility in high-velocity markets like tech, healthcare, and fintech.
Let us help you—fast, resilient, and future-ready.
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