For subscribers
Glossy numbers, uneven realities: Singapore’s job-light recovery
The growth numbers look strong but hiring remains slow, and some workers lack the skills to take up the jobs that are available.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Singapore’s recent Budgets have doubled down on workforce transformation.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Selena Ling
Follow topic:
To an outsider, Singapore’s recent macroeconomic numbers look like a glossy shop window – bright, polished, and full of high-value goods. But the reality depends on where you stand, whether you’re in a swanky shop in Marina Bay Sands, or a humble HDB provision store. Foot traffic can tell a drastically different story, too.
This divergence is often called a “K-shaped recovery” – where different segments rebound at radically different speeds. High earners ride buoyant stock markets and growth sectors, while low-wage workers and small businesses face volatility, slower income growth, and a widening digital divide.
