ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) roles ranked among Singapore’s fastest-growing jobs, said the latest LinkedIn’s annual jobs report released on Thursday (Jan 16).
The majority – 10 of the 15 – are new to the list. That is, they were not in this list in 2024, said the networking site. They included the roles of AI researcher and AI engineer – jobs that were created by the rise of AI.
Singapore’s top 15 fastest-growing jobs in the latest edition of LinkedIn’s annual jobs report are:
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Food and beverage (F&B) assistant (a 92 per cent three-year growth rate)
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AI researcher (81 per cent)
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Electrical and instrumentation technician (78 per cent)
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Sustainability consultant (62.5 per cent)
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Quantitative developer (60.2 per cent)
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AI engineer (55.6 per cent)
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Platform engineer (51.3 per cent)
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Technical sales engineer (44.7 per cent)
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Facilities coordinator (43.8 per cent)
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Quantitative researcher (40.2 per cent)
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Support associate (39.6 per cent)
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Technical support engineer (36.7 per cent)
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Tax specialist (31.6 per cent)
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Legal specialist (31.5 per cent)
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Presales consultant (30.8 per cent)
Other roles on the list might have experienced rapid growth on the back of new digital and AI technologies boosting demand for some jobs, LinkedIn said.
These include jobs that are required to maintain, sell and optimise AI-driven solutions – such as the electrical and instrumentation technician role, which ranks third; the technical sales engineer role, which stands in eighth position; and the presales consultant role, in 15th place.
The newcomers to the list also included the No 1 fastest-growing job – food and beverage assistant, as well as facilities coordinator.
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“[They] reflect post-COVID recovery trends in the broader economy, including the bounceback of the hospitality sector and return of workers to offices,” said LinkedIn.
These roles were derived from a LinkedIn study of millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from January 1, 2022 to July 31, 2024 to calculate a growth rate for each job title.To make it to the list, a job title needed to see positive growth across LinkedIn’s membership base and sufficient job postings in the past year, as well as a meaningful increase by 2024.
“The 2025 JOTR list for Singapore has a fairly balanced mix of roles that are more technical in nature, and roles that require a mix of technical and soft skills,” said LinkedIn. “The high proportion of roles that require a mix of technical and soft skills speaks to the continued and increasing importance of soft skills.”
“Looking ahead, the ability to combine these human-centric, interpersonal skills with technical skills is what will set professionals apart,” said LinkedIn.
More hunting for new roles but job search challenges are rising
LinkedIn also found that over two thirds of Singapore professionals are looking to switch roles in 2025 – surpassing the global average of 55 per cent.
Younger professionals are leading the charge, with 76 per cent of millennials and 71 per cent of Gen Zs eyeing new opportunities, according to the firm’s jobs report.
This comes despite rising challenges to the job search, with 61 per cent of respondents reporting that the process of seeking new employment has grown increasingly difficult.
Many respondents said they struggled to maintain a positive outlook as they seek new jobs, with Gen Zs struggling the most, and 29 per cent reported having yet to find a job since early 2024.
“Ghosting” by recruiters among job hunt woes
Nearly half of the respondents cited getting “ghosted” by – or not hearing back from – recruiters as one of their job hunt woes, and 56 per cent said that this makes it difficult for them to understand why they did not get a job offer.
Many are working harder to find a job but are not seeing results – as 47 per cent say they are applying to more jobs than before but hearing back less from companies.
Respondents reported spending an average of one to two hours per week applying to jobs and 67 per cent said they found the job search process time-consuming.
More than half the respondents said they applied for up to five roles per week, while millennials and Gen Zs reported submitting up to eight applications weekly.
While respondents report working harder than before at seeking employment, hiring professionals are struggling to find the right talent. Singapore recruiters say that only 3.4 per cent of applications they receive meet their required or preferred qualifications.
More than a quarter of human resource professionals report spending three to five hours daily sifting through applications, and say that a lack of applicants with the right technical and soft skills has pushed them to proactively source for talent.
Pay and work-life balance are main motivators
Compensation, work-life balance, and growth opportunities emerged as the top factors Singapore professionals weigh when considering roles.
Forty per cent said that the need for better salary was their main motivator for switching jobs, while 37 per cent cited work-life balance and another 23 per cent named growth opportunities as the biggest factor behind their desire to change roles.
Financial strains stemming from costs of living, a lack of raises, and a reduction of flexible work options, were also named as the leading concerns of Singapore professionals.
Three in five expressed openness towards exploring roles in new industries, with Gen X showing the most willingness.
