AI skillsets ranked No. 1 hardest to find

Seven in 10 employers said hiring skilled workers has become a struggle.

Artificial intelligence (AI) related skillsets now rank as Singapore’s most scarce talent for the first time, as seven in 10 employers report hiring difficulty, according to a report by ManpowerGroup.

The report comes following Singapore's announcement to launch a new set of national AI missions across key sectors of the economy.

Skills in AI model & application development (26%) and AI literacy (25%) are the hardest to find, ranking number one and two, respectively. They are followed by engineering (24%), operation & logistics (19%), and sales & marketing (19%). Meanwhile, IT & data skills, which previously ranked first in 2025, dropped down to seventh in 2026.

However, core human skills remain in-demand. Professionalism & work ethic (34%) and adaptability & willingness to learn (34%) are the most sought-after attributes, followed by communication, collaboration & teamwork (33%).

The utilities & natural resources industry faces the highest shortage (79%). Meanwhile, construction & real estate (77%) and public sector, health & social services (77%) report similar levels of strain. This challenge extends across professional, scientific, and technical services (76%), finance & insurance (72%), and hospitality (71%), indicating broad‐based operational and service‐delivery constraints.

94% of employers in Singapore are deploying a mix of tactics. A key focus is strengthening internal talent and enhancing workforce agility, with upskilling and reskilling (26%), location flexibility (22%), and schedule flexibility (21%) amongst the top approaches.

Concurrently, to enhance competitiveness, employers are targeting new talent pools (23%), expanding the temporary workforce (18%), and increasing wages (18%).

“In this environment, organisations that pair technological advancement with opportunities for people to grow will be best positioned to thrive amidst talent scarcity," Linda Teo, Country Manager of ManpowerGroup Singapore, said.

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