Singapore’s highest-paying sectors see 1 in 3 professionals earning S$10,000+ monthly

SINGAPORE, 28 SEPTEMBER 2026 —

The Ministry of Manpower’s latest earnings tables show that the top 35 percent of professional, managerial, executive and technical (PMET) workers in Singapore take home at least five figures a month, with finance, information‑and‑communication technology and public administration leading the pack.

The data, released earlier this month, breaks down the cut‑off salaries for the top third of local earners by industry and age. The figures include overtime, bonuses and compulsory CPF contributions, according to the ministry’s release.

Two financial sectors and ICT occupy the top three positions and are the only industries where workers as young as 25 can already reach the five‑figure threshold. Public administration also pays handsomely, while insurance, professional services, air and sea transport, utilities, trade, manufacturing and education all post cut‑offs that allow 30‑somethings to approach or exceed S$100,000 a year.

By contrast, sectors known for thin margins and intense competition — food and beverage, accommodation and retail — remain the only groups where the top‑35 percent threshold stays well below the five‑figure mark.

The spread challenges the assumption that high salaries are confined to the central business district. “The notion that you have to work down in one of CBD skyscrapers to make good money isn’t necessarily true,” the Vulcan Post analysis of the ministry tables notes.

“You’re likely to succeed in a business that you find more aligned with your interests, and the figures show that you can have a good career no matter the path you pick.”

The data also suggests the climb to the upper tier may be shorter than many assume. A large majority of industries now place the top‑35 percent cut‑off within reach of workers in their thirties, provided they perform a little better than average. “You just have to be a bit better than average,” the analysis adds. “You still have to climb that ladder, of course, but it might be shorter than you thought.”

For early‑career professionals, the tables imply that targeting finance, ICT or public administration offers the fastest route to a six‑figure annual income, though a wider set of sectors now delivers comparable earnings by the early thirties.

Employers in lower‑paying industries face growing pressure to reassess compensation structures as the gap widens. The ministry’s next quarterly release will indicate whether the current distribution holds or whether the sectors at the bottom begin to close the distance.

Related: Ministry of Manpower (MOM) · Singapore