Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Data sourced from RGF Professional Recruitment Salary Watch 2025.
In spite of recent media reports proclaiming the end of job-hopping for higher pay, it turns out that some industries are still willing to offer a bonus to qualified people just to poach them away from competitors—at least in Singapore, according to the recently released RGF’s Salary Watch 2025 report (RGF is a part of a major Japanese HR tech holding, Recruit Group, which also owns companies like Indeed or Glassdoor).
The company focuses on mid-to-senior-level recruitment across four major industry groups: Industrial Manufacturing, Consumer Goods & Retail, Healthcare & Life Sciences, and Corporate Services—and this is what we have data for here.
Unyielding demand for talent
The reason Singapore might be a bit of an outlier, while other countries report narrowing gaps between job-switchers and loyal employees, is the compressed nature of the city-state.
It’s tightly packed with many international companies, which are facing local shortages of talent, even if they might be laying people off in other locations.
According to an earlier survey by ManpowerGroup, Singapore’s talent shortage is among the worst in the world, as reported by a staggering 83% of employers. Little over a decade ago, it was just 25%.
It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that employers are trying to lure good candidates from other companies by offering them a substantial reward for switching jobs.
Here’s the breakdown by industry, as provided by RGF:
| Industry | Salary increase for external hires in 2025 |
| Consumer Goods & Retail | 12% to 15% |
| Corporate Services | 12% |
| Healthcare & Life Sciences | 12% to 18% |
| Industrial Manufacturing | 10% |
As always, the ultimate offer, of course, depends on the job and skill set of the hire. Here are the hot jobs in each of these industries for 2025:
Hot jobs & skills
Consumer Goods & Retail
| Department | Positions | Company | Skills in Demand | Salary increase for external hires in 2025 |
| Business Strategy & Commercial | Director / Manager / Supervisor | All | Market Analysis, Sales Strategies, Negotiation and Competitive Intelligence, Financial Acumen, Market Knowledge, Contract Management | 10% to 15% |
| Marketing & Branding | Director / Manager / Supervisor | All | Digital Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Data Analytics and Interpretation, Digital Marketing, Analytics Metrics, Competitor Analysis | 10% to 15% |
| Sales & Business Development | Head / Manager / Senior Manager / Supervisor | All | Sales Forecasting, Budgeting, Strategic Partnerships, SEO, ECommerce, Networking | 10% to 15% |
Corporate Services
| Department | Positions | Company | Skills in Demand | Salary increase for external hires in 2025 |
| Finance & Accounting | CFO | Large Local / Global MNC HQ | Strategic Financial Planning, Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management, Capital Raising and M&A | 10% to 15% |
| — | — | SME | Cash Flow Management, Technology and Data Analytics, Cost Management and Efficiency | 8% to 12% |
| — | Director | All | Strategic Financial Planning, Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management, Data Analytics and Financial Technology | 10% to 15% |
| Human Resources | CHRO | Global MNC | Global Talent Management, Digital HR Transformation, Strategic Workforce Planning | 15% to 20% |
| — | — | Change Management, Employee Engagement and Retention, Labour Relations and Compliance | Change Management, Employee Engagement and Retention, Labor Relations and Compliance | 10% to 15% |
| — | — | SME | HR Generalist Skills, Talent Acquisition and Development, Cost Management | 8% to 12% |
| — | Director | Large Local/ Global MNC HQ | Change Management, Employee Engagement and Retention, Labour Relations and Compliance | 10% to 15% |
| Legal & Compliance | Director | Large Local/ Global MNC HQ | Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management, Corporate Governance, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity | 10% to 15% |
| General Affairs, Admin & Secretary | Director | Large Local/ Global MNC HQ | Organizational and Project Management, Communication Skills, Technology Proficiency | 10% to 15% |
Healthcare and Life Sciences
| Department | Positions | Company | Skills in Demand | Salary increase for external hires in 2025 |
| Production & Operations | Director/ Manager/ Non-management | Large Local/ Global MNC HQ | Process Optimisation, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Project Management, QA / QC, Technical Background in Engineering and Scientific | 10% to 15% |
| — | — | SME | High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Formulation, Analytical Chemistry, Process Development | 10% to 12% |
| Quality | Director / Manager / Supervisor | Large Local / Global MNC HQ | Quality Management Systems, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Root Cause Analysis | 10% to 15% |
| — | — | SME | Quality Auditing, SOP Development, Supplier Development, Process Improvement | 8% to 12% |
| Marketing | Director / Manager / Non-management | Large Local / Global MNC HQ | Market Research, Strategic Marketing, Integrated Marketing, Marketing Strategy Development | 10% to 15% |
| — | — | SME | Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, New Business Development | 10% to 12% |
| Sales | Director / Manager / Non-management | All | Sales Management, Sales Processes, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Sales Forecasting Tools | 10% to 12% |
Industrial Manufacturing
| Department | Positions | Company | Skills in Demand | Salary increase for external hires in 2025 |
| Manufacturing, Production & Operation | Manager/ Supervisor | All | Analytical Skills, Technical Competency in Each Field of Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement | 10% to 15% |
| Sales | Sales Management, a Combination of technical knowledge and sales | All | Sales Management, Combination of technical knowledge and sales | 10% to 15% |
As you can see, there seems to be something for almost everybody. Those with hard technical or scientific skills, those with soft skills in HR, those in sales and marketing, those in senior positions and those outside of management, in both large companies and SMEs alike.
If you command the right skills and there’s a demonstrable shortage for talents like you, you can expect an incentive to switch from just under 10% all the way up to 20% in the most generous companies.
With salaries in Singapore growing, on average, by single digits each year, jumping the boat is still tempting.
And even if you like your current workplace, it doesn’t hurt to shop around and find out what you might be really worth, before coming back to your employer to negotiate a bigger raise to stay rather than leave. Good luck!
- Read other articles we’ve written on job trends here.
Featured image: Rawpixel / depositphotos
