Finance and insurance hiring rises 23% in Q1

Hiring outlook of finance and insurance employers stands at 33%.

Finance and insurance employers in Singapore reported the highest net employment outlook (NEO) for the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, rising 23% from the same period last year.

NEO of finance and insurance employers stand at 33%, according to ManpowerGroup's Employment Outlook Survey.

The hospitality industry maintains a high NEO of 46% despite it falling 8%.

The manufacturing sector’s NEO fell 13% to 10%, the largest decline in the survey.

Company expansion is also projected to cause hiring increases amongst industries in Singapore.

Overall, more than 500 employers in the city-state reported a seasonally adjusted NEO of 15%, ManpowerGroup said.

This is amidst financial technology (fintech) firms in Singapore are planning to ramp up hiring in technical and commercial roles in the next 12 months, as they race to further fintech software engineering and marketing, the Singapore Fintech Association said.

In the whole workforce, SkillsFuture Singapore is upgrading its workforce-planning tools after more than 27,000 companies used them this year, and this is considered one of the fastest adoption cycles for the agency’s digital services.

Despite this, more employers plan to freeze hiring next year, with 58% expecting to hold headcount steady in 2026 compared with 50% a year earlier, according to the Singapore National Employers Federation.

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