Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Data sourced from Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower.
It’s this time of the year again, when Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower releases its latest salary data for over 420 common occupations in the domestic economy. Unfortunately, due to the scope of the task, there is a one-year lag in these statistics (they are accurate as of Jun 2025).
Though salaries do not change more than a few per cent over 12 months, so it remains pretty valid.
In 57 cases, the gross median annual pay has reached over S$100,000 per year, or S$8,333 per month. As a reminder, the median is the middle value. It means that half of the workers in a given profession make more than this figure and half make less.
Unsurprisingly, you’ll find these jobs in the two highest categories: Managers (26 jobs) and Professionals (31 jobs). In other words: those who manage people and organisations, and those who specialise in specific tasks, but not among the support staff and clerical workers.
Managers
| Occupation | Median Monthly Gross Wage |
|---|---|
| Chief information officer/ Chief technology officer/ Chief information security officer | S$18,413 |
| Risk management manager | S$16,025 |
| Company director | S$13,844 |
| Chief operating officer/ General manager | S$13,060 |
| Financial risk manager | S$12,130 |
| Managing director/ Chief executive officer | S$12,050 |
| Policy manager | S$11,858 |
| Regional sales manager | S$11,483 |
| Strategic planning manager | S$11,109 |
| Software and applications manager | S$10,973 |
| Research and development manager | S$10,750 |
| Financial services manager | S$10,750 |
| Audit manager | S$10,742 |
| Network/ Communications/ Infrastructure manager | S$10,340 |
| Insurance services manager | S$10,066 |
| Online sales channel manager | S$9,844 |
| Budgeting/ Financial accounting manager | S$9,728 |
| Wholesale trade manager | S$9,616 |
| Quality control/ assurance manager | S$9,540 |
| Marketing manager | S$9,400 |
| Supply and distribution/ Logistics/ Warehousing manager | S$9,394 |
| Business development manager | S$9,182 |
| ICT service manager | S$8,847 |
| Personnel/ Human resource manager | S$8,500 |
| Customer service manager | S$8,500 |
| Media/ Broadcast manager | S$8,400 |
It’s hardly a surprise that most of these managerial positions involve dealing with money: finance, sales and managing the entire business (in addition to a few more specialised roles).
You might be surprised to see CEOs or company directors ranked lower than CIOs or CTOs here, but you have to keep in mind that only big companies have these specialised roles, while virtually every business has a CEO.
This means that the number of data points for CEOs is much higher and their distribution is much broader, including many smaller businesses where the boss isn’t necessarily paid five figures per month. This brings those average figures down.
Professionals
| Occupation | Median Monthly Gross Wage |
|---|---|
| Financial derivatives dealer | S$20,000 |
| ICT sales and services professional | S$15,250 |
| In-house legal counsel (excluding judiciary, ministries and statutory boards) | S$12,507 |
| Commercial airline pilot | S$12,337 |
| Economist | S$12,113 |
| Artificial intelligence/ Machine learning engineer | S$11,838 |
| Enterprise/ Solution/ Software architect | S$11,605 |
| Fund/ Portfolio manager | S$11,270 |
| Business valuer | S$10,942 |
| University lecturer | S$10,931 |
| Treasury manager | S$10,286 |
| Sales professional (institutional sales of financial products) | S$10,270 |
| Advocate/ Solicitor (practising) | S$10,000 |
| Editor (news/ periodicals) | S$9,823 |
| Chemical engineer (petroleum) | S$9,612 |
| Data scientist | S$9,537 |
| Oil/ Bunker trader | S$9,459 |
| Cyber risk specialist | S$9,423 |
| Interaction designer | S$9,306 |
| Tax accountant | S$9,282 |
| Internal medicine physician | S$9,262 |
| Compliance officer/ Risk analyst (financial) | S$9,182 |
| Biochemist | S$9,161 |
| Cybersecurity architect | S$9,142 |
| Medical scientist | S$9,067 |
| Management consultant | S$8,811 |
| Veterinarian | S$8,805 |
| Insurance underwriter | S$8,780 |
| Financial product structurer | S$8,745 |
| Marketing strategy/ planning professional | S$8,713 |
| Operations research analyst | S$8,569 |
This might be the list that interests more people, as it shows that you don’t have to aspire to “manage” anything to make really good money. You can simply be an expert in one of many diverse fields, enjoying your line of work and getting paid handsomely for your expertise.
It may, of course, involve a job in finance or insurance, but also being a doctor, or a veterinarian, lawyer, data scientist, engineer, press editor, designer, AI developer or a university lecturer.
You might be good with numbers or good with people (or even animals). You can fly a plane, teach or trade oil.
There are countless career opportunities that Singapore’s job market is willing to reward with a good salary, as long as you yourself acquire the skills and knowledge required.
Few people could complain that the city is too small to allow them have a good career. There are many avenues to follow even if you never set foot outside this small island.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s job landscape here.
Featured Image Credit: jpldesigns/ depositphotos
