Fewer jobs are being created annually, given the dual challenges of economic restructuring and an ageing workforce, but a greater proportion are better-quality jobs.
A 2016 jobs report from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) shows that of the 53,800 vacancies last year, 48 per cent were positions for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), compared with 39 per cent in 2013.
Overall, job growth has declined over the past two years from a previous high of more than 100,000 jobs annually.
Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said yesterday that the aim for the next three to five years is to raise the annual job growth in Singapore to 25,000 to 40,000 jobs.
He also said that more can be done to match job seekers to available jobs, and upgrade or reskill them for new jobs.
In the coming months, MOM will focus on strengthening professional conversion programmes for mid-career workers, matching older PMETs with small and medium-sized enterprises that require their expertise, and making support programmes more inclusive for all segments of the workforce.
Mr Lim was speaking yesterday at a career fair at Changi Airport that had more than 40 employers offering more than 2,300 jobs across the aviation sector.
The fair ends today.
