Singapore Wage Map 2026
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Occupations & Industries

Who Singapore pays the most — and the least

The Ministry of Manpower publishes a median wage for 523 occupations. They run from a $1,600 wage floor to a ceiling of at least $20,000 — a 12.5× span. This is a winners-and-losers tour across five lenses: pay level, career trajectory, cross-industry spread, industry mix, and firm size. No inputs — just the published medians behind the calculator.

Source: MOM Occupational Wage Survey, June 2025 — full-time resident employees, medians.

Highest median
≥ $20,000
3 roles report at the ceiling
The middle of the market
$4,534
median of every occupation's median
Wage floor
$1,600
11 roles sit on the PWM / LQS floor

All figures are all-industries gross medians — monthly wages (basic plus overtime, commissions and allowances) for full-time resident employees, June 2025. Rankings compare exact published medians only; nothing is pooled or estimated.

1

The economy's pay spread

Every occupation's median pay across the whole economy — a long right tail of high earners over a dense low-to-middle mass.

523 occupation medians (all-industries, gross), from $1.6K to $20K. The median occupation's median is $4,534.
2

The 25 highest-paid occupations

Ranked by all-industries gross median, coloured by occupational group — the top of the market is Managers and Professionals almost end to end.

  1. 1Flying instructor (excluding air force)≥ $20,000
  2. 2Diagnostic radiologist≥ $20,000
  3. 3Financial derivatives dealer≥ $20,000
  4. 4Chief information officer/Chief technology officer/Chief information security officer$17,812
  5. 5Risk management manager$17,077
  6. 6Commercial airline pilot$17,053
  7. 7ICT sales and services professional$15,841
  8. 8Fund/Portfolio manager$15,750
  9. 9Company director$13,839
  10. 10Ship broker$13,792
  11. 11Chief operating officer/General manager$13,750
  12. 12Enterprise/Solution/Software architect$13,614
  13. 13Foreign exchange dealer$13,500
  14. 14University lecturer$13,403
  15. 15Financial risk manager$13,058
  16. 16Managing director/Chief executive officer$13,000
  17. 17In-house legal counsel (excluding judiciary, ministries and statutory boards)$13,000
  18. 18Economist$12,995
  19. 19Policy manager$12,512
  20. 20Software and applications manager$12,500
  21. 21Regional sales manager$12,457
  22. 22ICT auditor$12,125
  23. 23Research and development manager$12,000
  24. 24Marine superintendent$12,000
  25. 25Treasury manager$12,000
  • Managers · 10
  • Professionals · 15
Of 523 occupations with a published median. 3 roles report exactly $20,000 — a likely publication ceiling, so read the top as “at least $20,000”, not a precise figure.
3

The 25 lowest-paid occupations

Same ranking from the bottom. A cluster of roles sits at exactly the same figure — the wage floor.

  1. 1Odd job person$1,600 *
  2. 2Bus attendant$1,600 *
  3. 3Food/Drink stall assistant$1,600 *
  4. 4Civil engineering/Building construction labourer$1,600 *
  5. 5Hand launderer/presser (non-household)$1,600 *
  6. 6Dishwasher$1,600 *
  7. 7Food and beverage establishment general cleaner$1,600 *
  8. 8Building painter$1,600 *
  9. 9Floor/Wall tiler$1,600 *
  10. 10Hair stylist/Hairdresser$1,600 *
  11. 11Waiter$1,600 *
  12. 12Beautician$1,618
  13. 13Kitchen assistant$1,620
  14. 14Plastic products machine operator$1,624
  15. 15Hand packer$1,630
  16. 16Carpenter$1,630
  17. 17Hospital/Clinic attendant$1,700
  18. 18Pipe fitter$1,700
  19. 19Petrol station attendant$1,724
  20. 20Landscape/Plant nursery supervisor$1,740
  21. 21Car park attendant$1,783
  22. 22Tea server/steward (excluding bartender, barista and food/drink stall assistant)$1,800
  23. 23Table-top cleaner$1,800
  24. 24Sewing machine operator$1,800
  25. 25Office/Commercial/Industrial establishment indoor cleaner$1,820
  • Services and Sales Workers · 4
  • Agricultural and Fishery Workers · 1
  • Craftsmen and Related Trades Workers · 4
  • Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers · 2
  • Cleaners, Labourers and Related Workers · 14
Of 523 occupations with a published median. The $1,600 figure repeats across 11 roles (marked ): it is the Progressive Wage Model / Local Qualifying Salary floor, not a coincidence.
4

Careers that compound vs careers that flatten

Percentage change in median pay from the 25–29 to the 40–49 age band — the difference between a career that pays off with experience and one that doesn't.

Pay compounds with age
  1. Commercial airline pilot+536%
  2. In-house legal counsel (excluding judiciary, ministries and statutory boards)+242.8%
  3. Fund/Portfolio manager+215.3%
  4. Managing director/Chief executive officer+207.6%
  5. Financial/Investment adviser+172%
  6. Cloud specialist+154.7%
  7. Interaction designer+149.4%
  8. ICT sales and services professional+143.8%
  9. Content writer+138.5%
  10. Company director+134.3%
  11. Compliance officer/Risk analyst (financial)+129.6%
  12. Editor (news/periodicals)+125%
  13. Manufacturing manager+121.4%
  14. Financial services manager+121.2%
  15. General practitioner/Physician+116.9%
Pay flattens or falls
  1. Kitchen assistant−15%
  2. Personnel/Human resource clerk−14.6%
  3. Waiter−14.6%
  4. Supervisor/General foreman (building and related trades)−9.1%
  5. Merchandising/Category executive−8.9%
  6. Office clerk−8.9%
  7. Data entry clerk−7.8%
  8. Beautician−7.6%
  9. Security supervisor−6.1%
  10. Training/Staff development professional−4.6%
  11. Office/Commercial/Industrial establishment indoor cleaner−4.5%
  12. Shop sales assistant−3.4%
  13. Procurement/Purchasing clerk−3.2%
  14. Senior security supervisor−2.9%
  15. Enumerator/Market research interviewer−1.9%
Computable for 213 occupations that publish both age bands. 22 occupations pay less at 40–49 than at 25–29 — experience isn't rewarded everywhere.
5

The industry league table

Industries ranked by the median of their published occupation medians — Financial & Insurance on top, Accommodation & Food at the foot.

  1. Financial and Insurance Services$8,060 n 135
  2. Information and Communications$7,191 n 107
  3. Professional Services$5,750 n 181
  4. Wholesale and Retail Trade$5,013 n 152
  5. Transportation and Storage$4,548 n 145
  6. Manufacturing$4,500 n 201
  7. Public Administration and Education$4,244 n 55
  8. Health and Social Services$4,018 n 111
  9. Arts, Entertainment and Recreation$3,678 n 50
  10. Construction$3,624 n 110
  11. Other Community, Social and Personal Services$3,585 n 67
  12. Real Estate Services$3,395 n 66
  13. Administrative and Support Services$3,100 n 113
  14. Accommodation and Food Services$2,655 n 86
This is the "median published role", unweighted — it reflects each industry's occupation mix, not what an average worker there earns. n = occupations published per industry (50–201).
6

Where you work matters most

The same occupation, priced very differently by industry. Each bar spans the poorest to the richest industry median for that role.

  • Managing director/Chief executive officer$17,625 · 3.4×
    $7,375 Accommodation and Food ServicesFinancial and Insurance Services $25,000
  • Electronics engineer$13,700 · 4.1×
    $4,400 ConstructionInformation and Communications $18,100
  • Chief operating officer/General manager$12,733 · 2.9×
    $6,810 Other Community, Social and Personal ServicesTransportation and Storage $19,543
  • In-house legal counsel (excluding judiciary, ministries and statutory boards)$12,000 · 2.5×
    $8,000 Professional ServicesManufacturing $20,000
  • Company director$10,777 · 2.7×
    $6,527 Accommodation and Food ServicesFinancial and Insurance Services $17,304
  • Research and development manager$9,252 · 2.1×
    $8,078 Public Administration and EducationInformation and Communications $17,330
  • Enterprise/Solution/Software architect$8,792 · 2×
    $9,079 Transportation and StorageProfessional Services $17,871
  • ICT sales and services professional$8,746 · 1.8×
    $10,830 Wholesale and Retail TradeProfessional Services $19,576
  • Personnel/Human resource manager$8,652 · 2.9×
    $4,553 Accommodation and Food ServicesFinancial and Insurance Services $13,205
  • Business development manager$8,170 · 2.3×
    $6,330 Accommodation and Food ServicesInformation and Communications $14,500
  • Customer service manager$7,902 · 3.5×
    $3,171 Accommodation and Food ServicesProfessional Services $11,073
  • Retail manager$7,565 · 3.8×
    $2,750 Other Community, Social and Personal ServicesProfessional Services $10,315
  • Marketing manager$7,240 · 2.4×
    $5,200 Accommodation and Food ServicesInformation and Communications $12,440
  • Wholesale trade manager$7,104 · 1.9×
    $7,787 Transportation and StorageFinancial and Insurance Services $14,891
  • Administration manager$6,794 · 2.9×
    $3,620 Accommodation and Food ServicesFinancial and Insurance Services $10,414
Computable for 161 occupations published in at least three section industries. Ranked by absolute dollar spread between the richest and poorest industry.
7

Widest vs narrowest pay bands

How much the top quartile out-earns the bottom quartile in the same role (p75 ÷ p25) — a read on how much outcomes vary.

Widest bands (high risk/reward)
  1. Commodities trader (excluding oil, bunker and environmental commodities)3.37×
  2. Flying instructor (excluding air force)3.14×
  3. Salesperson (door-to-door)3.10×
  4. Trade broker3.04×
  5. Website administrator/Webmaster3.03×
  6. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner3.00×
  7. Marketing and sales executive (food and beverage services)2.83×
  8. In-house legal counsel (excluding judiciary, ministries and statutory boards)2.82×
  9. Managing director/Chief executive officer2.80×
  10. Diagnostic radiologist2.77×
  11. Sales professional (institutional sales of financial products)2.76×
  12. Bookkeeper2.68×
  13. Telemarketer2.66×
  14. Wholesale trade manager2.66×
  15. Economist2.63×
Narrowest bands (predictable)
  1. Bus attendant1.06×
  2. Gardener/Horticultural worker1.08×
  3. Landscape worker1.08×
  4. General dental practitioner1.10×
  5. Civil engineering/Building construction labourer1.13×
  6. Floor/Wall tiler1.13×
  7. Specialised dentist1.17×
  8. Tree worker/technician1.17×
  9. Senior private security officer1.18×
  10. Food and beverage establishment general cleaner1.19×
  11. Instrumentalist1.21×
  12. Office cashier1.21×
  13. Butcher/Fishmonger and related food preparer1.22×
  14. Driving instructor/tester1.22×
  15. Odd job person1.22×
All-industries gross p75/p25, over the 523 occupations that publish both quartiles. A high ratio means wildly varying outcomes; near 1.0 means a tightly-banded role.
8

The firm-size premium

For the same job, does a bigger or smaller employer pay more? Almost always the bigger one — but a stubborn minority of roles flip it. The sharpest gaps each way; each bar is how much more the winning size pays.

Usually, big firms (200+) pay more

the rule — 281 of 359 roles

  1. Flying instructor (excluding air force)+318.6%
  2. University lecturer+146.9%
  3. Kitchen operations head/supervisor+131.2%
  4. Hair stylist/Hairdresser+129.8%
  5. Cabin attendant/steward+127.3%
  6. Telemarketer+120.5%
  7. Welder/Flame cutter+115.5%
  8. Supervisor/General foreman (building and related trades)+111%
  9. Interaction designer+109.4%
  10. Mechanical products quality checker/tester+108.2%
  11. Bus driver+106.8%
  12. Office clerk+101.2%
  13. General waste collection/recycling/material recovery worker+97.9%
  14. Sales demonstrator+95.4%
  15. Road transport operations officer+92.5%
Sometimes, small firms (25–199) do

the exception — 78 of 359 roles

  1. Audio/Video equipment technician+93.5%
  2. Technical superintendent+90.2%
  3. Resident technical officer+75%
  4. Aeronautical engineer+69.6%
  5. Marine engineering officer+64.6%
  6. Actuary+60.6%
  7. Shipping agent/Boarding officer+57.6%
  8. Financial/Investment adviser+54.8%
  9. Chemical engineer (excluding petroleum and petrochemical)+44.1%
  10. Travel consultant/reservation executive+43.7%
  11. Insurance underwriter+42.6%
  12. Economist+41.6%
  13. Medical device assembler/repairer+41.6%
  14. Creative advertising professional+37.6%
  15. Appraiser/Valuer (excluding intangible asset valuer)+37.5%
Of 359 occupations published at both establishment sizes, 281 (78%) pay more at large firms and 78 pay more at small ones. Large = 200+ employees, small = 25–199.
9

Where variable pay stacks highest

Occupations where gross pay most exceeds basic — overtime, shift work and commission doing the heavy lifting.

  1. Aircraft cleaner1.72× $1,652→$2,848
  2. Chemical engineering technician (petrochemical)1.65× $5,038→$8,300
  3. Paramedic1.53× $2,440→$3,724
  4. Waste truck driver1.51× $2,810→$4,235
  5. Bus driver1.50× $2,418→$3,618
  6. Wellness centre manager1.50× $4,000→$6,000
  7. Trailer-truck driver1.48× $2,074→$3,070
  8. Semi-conductor technician1.44× $3,637→$5,232
  9. Cleaning operations manager1.37× $3,600→$4,925
  10. Crane/Hoist operator (excluding port)1.36× $3,808→$5,194
  11. Motor vehicle cleaner/polisher1.36× $2,700→$3,660
  12. Chemical engineering technician (excluding petroleum, natural gas and petrochemical)1.34× $4,107→$5,498
  13. Motorised sweeper operator1.32× $2,700→$3,566
  14. Hospital/Clinic attendant1.31× $1,300→$1,700
  15. Chemical processing/products plant/machine operator1.29× $3,232→$4,168
Gross ÷ basic median, all-industries, over 523 occupations. A 1.72× ratio means gross pay is 72% above basic — most of it is variable, and less guaranteed.
10

Pay by industry & job family

A browse-anywhere close: median pay across industries and the four broad job families (MOM T5 sampler).

PMEs
Assoc. Prof. & Tech.
Clerical, Sales & Service
Production & Transport
Manufacturing
$7K
$4K
$1.7K
$2K
Food, Beverages & Tobacco
$5K
$3.9K
$1.7K
$1.8K
Paper/ Rubber/ Plastic Products & Printing
$7.2K
$5.6K
$3K
$2.6K
Petroleum, Chemical & Pharmaceutical Products
$8.3K
$5.1K
$4.3K
$2.9K
Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment
$6.6K
$3.5K
$3.4K
$2.2K
Electronic, Computer & Optical Products
$6.2K
$3.8K
$4.5K
$2.1K
Transport Equipment
$6.1K
$4.3K
$1.8K
$1.6K
Construction
$6K
$3.7K
$1.6K
$1.9K
Services
$9K
$4.2K
$2.9K
$1.9K
Wholesale and Retail Trade
$8.2K
$4.6K
$2.6K
$2.5K
Wholesale Trade
$10.1K
$5K
$2.8K
$2.6K
Retail Trade
$6.4K
$4.1K
$2.7K
$1.7K
Transportation and Storage
$7K
$4.3K
$3.1K
$3.2K
Land Transport & Supporting Services
$7K
$3.7K
$3.1K
$3.3K
Water Transport & Supporting Services
$11K
$5.5K
$4K
$3.8K
None
$9.6K
$4.6K
$4.2K
$2.9K
Air Transport & Supporting Services
$10.1K
$4.7K
$4.3K
$2.1K
Accommodation and Food Services
$3.8K
$3.2K
$1.7K
$1.6K
Accommodation
$5.3K
$3.8K
$2.9K
$2.2K
Food & Beverage Services
$3.8K
$3.3K
$1.7K
$1.6K
Information and Communications
$7.5K
$5K
$3.7K
$2.1K
Telecommunications, Broadcasting & Publishing
$6.5K
$4.4K
$3.8K
—
IT & Other Information Services
$7.3K
$5.2K
$3.8K
$2.1K
Financial and Insurance Services
$9.5K
$5.5K
$4.7K
$2.8K
Financial Services
$9.8K
$6K
$5.4K
$2.6K
None
$9.9K
$5.4K
$4.2K
$3.3K
Insurance Services
$7.4K
$5.3K
$4.6K
—
Real Estate Services
$10.1K
$3.8K
$3K
$1.9K
Professional Services
$6.7K
$4.8K
$3.9K
$2.4K
Legal, Accounting & Management Services
$6.7K
$5.1K
$3.3K
$2.2K
Architectural & Engineering Services
$6.2K
$4.7K
$1.8K
$1.8K
Administrative and Support Services
$10K
$3.5K
$3K
$1.9K
Public Administration and Education
$5.7K
$4K
$3.7K
$2K
Health and Social Services
$5.2K
$4.2K
$3.1K
$2.5K
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
$5.8K
$3.7K
$2.6K
$1.6K
Other Community, Social and Personal Services
$4.7K
$4K
$2.3K
$1.6K
$1.6K$11Kmedian gross pay
Median of the sampled occupations in each industry × broad group. A wide sampler, not the full survey — empty cells had no sampled occupation.

How to read this — caveats & method

  • Published medians only. Every ranking uses exact medians MOM published — no group pooling, no estimates. Each list states its suppression-aware denominator (“of the N occupations where X is published”); occupations MOM suppressed for a small sample are simply absent, never shown as a zero.
  • “At least $20,000”. 3 occupations report exactly $20,000 and 11 report exactly $1,600. These are a publication ceiling and the Progressive Wage / Local Qualifying Salary floor respectively — treat them as bounds, not precise averages.
  • The industry league is unweighted. It ranks the median of each industry's published occupation medians, so it reflects the mix of roles an industry reports — a finance-heavy sector looks high because it publishes more high-paying roles, not necessarily because every worker earns more.
  • Medians, not people. Cross-industry spread, band width and the size premium compare an occupation's medians across cuts; they describe where the role is priced highest, not any one person's pay or a guaranteed raise from switching.
  • Gross medians, full-time residents, June 2025. Monthly gross wages (basic plus overtime, commissions and allowances). Age cuts cover 25–59; career-growth figures compare the 25–29 and 40–49 bands only.