AI appears in 1 in 10 job ads across half of all occupations

Job postings in food preparation and service climbed 10.7%.

More than one in ten job postings across about half of all occupations in Singapore now reference artificial intelligence (AI), according to new data from job platform Indeed.

In August, one in six local job listings included terms such as machine learning, generative AI, and agentic AI—the highest proportion among all countries tracked.

Roles in data and analytics accounted for 57% of AI-related postings, followed by software development (39%), scientific research (35%), and industrial engineering (33%).

Despite some softening, the overall job market remains resilient. Job postings in Singapore fell 1.3% in August, moderating from a 4.8% decline in July.

Whilst total postings were still 16.2% lower than a year earlier, they remained 35% above pre-pandemic levels from February 2020. Roughly 92% of occupations continue to see posting volumes above their pre-Covid benchmarks.

Demand has risen in several essential service sectors over the past three months. Job postings in food preparation and service climbed 10.7%, with notable gains also seen in legal roles (+8.8%), personal care and home health (+8.1%), and cleaning and sanitation (+6.6%).

In contrast, some sectors experienced sharp pullbacks. Postings in childcare dropped 46.5%, while veterinary and dental roles declined by 27.7% and 24.9%, respectively.

Technology hiring also weakened, with job ads in IT infrastructure, operations and support down 17.6%, and data and analytics roles falling 15.9%.

Indeed noted that the post-pandemic hiring surge was so strong that even after three years of declining postings, unemployment has remained low. However, it warned that if job postings fail to stabilise soon, further declines could begin to weigh on labour market conditions.