Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 03 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Singapore: Work & Labour
Can people find work, and on what terms?
Singapore is placed 17th of 182 countries on work & labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Employment-to-Population Ratio 67.71 (2025); Labour Income Share 43.22 (2025).
Work & Labour
17th
of 182 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Singapore on work & labour — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Employment-to-Population Ratio
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much of the working-age population is actually in work — the half of the picture unemployment hides, because people who stop looking stop being counted.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
67.71
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)
Higher is better
Singapore: 67.71. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 21.21 (São Tomé and Príncipe) to 86.9 (Qatar); the world median is 57.72.
- World median
- 57.72
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 82.17 Cambodia
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Unemployment Rate
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: The share of people looking for work who cannot find it.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
2.818
Unemployment (% of labour force)
Lower is better
Singapore: 2.818. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.13 (Qatar) to 34.2 (Eswatini); the world median is 5.084.
- World median
- 5.084
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 0.263 Cambodia
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Vulnerable Employment
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much work is own-account or unpaid family labour, carrying no contract and no protection.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
9.296
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment)
Lower is better
Singapore: 9.296. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.456 (Qatar) to 90.22 (Chad); the world median is 28.67.
- World median
- 28.67
- Best in South-eastern Asia
- 4.478 Brunei
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
02Over time
Which way Singapore is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Employment-to-Population Ratio
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%) · higher is better
SingaporeWorld median
Singapore rose from 62.95 in 2000 to 67.71 in 2025; the world median went from 55.86 to 57.72.
Every year’s figures
Year Singapore World median 2025 67.71 57.720 2024 67.31 57.694 2023 67.00 58.158 2022 67.23 57.688 2021 67.41 56.066 2020 65.90 55.691 2019 66.85 57.871 2018 66.10 56.911 2017 66.05 56.738 2016 66.42 56.845 2015 66.90 56.788 2014 65.99 56.774 2013 65.15 56.229 2012 65.42 56.289 2011 64.76 56.297 2010 64.60 56.212 2009 62.67 56.255 2008 63.98 57.308 2007 62.94 56.933 2006 63.12 56.685 2005 61.55 56.129 2004 60.80 55.465 2003 60.86 55.630 2002 60.97 55.843 2001 63.00 56.018 2000 62.95 55.861 Labour Income Share
Labour income share of GDP (%) · higher is better
SingaporeWorld median
Singapore fell from 46.22 in 2004 to 43.22 in 2025; the world median went from 46.01 to 46.23.
Every year’s figures
Year Singapore World median 2025 43.22 46.230 2024 42.78 46.060 2023 43.51 45.900 2022 39.89 45.615 2021 43.27 45.433 2020 49.34 47.267 2019 46.24 46.277 2018 45.06 46.187 2017 46.47 46.467 2016 48.48 46.798 2015 48.80 46.876 2014 48.92 47.281 2013 47.59 46.887 2012 46.50 46.231 2011 45.27 45.679 2010 44.90 46.024 2009 47.57 47.071 2008 47.55 45.312 2007 45.25 45.246 2006 45.42 45.670 2005 45.65 46.265 2004 46.22 46.012 Unemployment Rate
Unemployment (% of labour force) · lower is better
SingaporeWorld median
Singapore fell from 3.7 in 2000 to 2.818 in 2025; the world median went from 6.918 to 5.084.
Every year’s figures
Year Singapore World median 2025 2.82 5.08 2024 2.74 5.15 2023 3.44 5.21 2022 3.59 5.34 2021 4.64 6.04 2020 4.10 6.38 2019 3.10 5.36 2018 3.61 5.35 2017 4.20 5.59 2016 4.08 5.90 2015 3.79 6.41 2014 3.74 6.58 2013 3.86 6.71 2012 3.72 6.79 2011 3.89 6.90 2010 4.12 7.04 2009 5.86 6.67 2008 3.96 5.79 2007 3.90 6.00 2006 4.48 6.50 2005 5.59 7.09 2004 5.84 6.80 2003 5.93 6.95 2002 5.65 6.91 2001 3.76 6.96 2000 3.70 6.92 Vulnerable Employment
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment) · lower is better
SingaporeWorld median
Singapore fell from 9.791 in 2000 to 9.296 in 2025; the world median went from 35.67 to 28.67.
Every year’s figures
Year Singapore World median 2025 9.296 28.67 2024 9.426 29.04 2023 9.068 29.33 2022 9.192 29.67 2021 9.714 30.01 2020 9.685 30.54 2019 9.165 29.98 2018 8.894 30.15 2017 8.728 29.93 2016 8.524 29.91 2015 8.273 30.26 2014 9.285 30.47 2013 8.657 31.14 2012 9.282 31.00 2011 9.590 31.41 2010 9.180 32.37 2009 9.837 32.59 2008 9.983 31.76 2007 10.276 33.47 2006 10.012 34.27 2005 10.091 34.66 2004 10.146 35.51 2003 9.712 35.90 2002 9.944 35.96 2001 10.199 35.27 2000 9.791 35.67
03In context
Singapore beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 182 countries on work & labour, never a place within the region.
Singapore and South-eastern Asia
Singapore has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. The standing is each country’s place among all 182 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Employment-to-Population RatioEmployed share of the population aged 15+ (%) | Labour Income ShareLabour income share of GDP (%) | Unemployment RateUnemployment (% of labour force) | Vulnerable EmploymentVulnerable employment (% of total employment) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 17th | 67.71 | 43.22 | 2.818 | 9.296 |
 Cambodia | =26th | 82.17 | 46.23 | 0.263 | 52.32 |
 Indonesia | 34th | 65.77 | 58.2 | 3.237 | 49.96 |
 Vietnam | 35th | 71.67 | 47.32 | 1.523 | 51.4 |
 Thailand | =37th | 66.16 | 47.02 | 0.781 | 47.98 |
 Laos | 52nd | 65.3 | 48.7 | 1.187 | 76.38 |
 Philippines | =58th | 59.98 | 45.65 | 2.235 | 33.62 |
 Malaysia | 63rd | 63.63 | 40.71 | 3.764 | 21.89 |
 Brunei | =72nd | 60.85 | 33.21 | 5.277 | 4.478 |
 Timor-Leste | 90th | 65.91 | 31.09 | 1.592 | 58.63 |
 Myanmar | 109th | 53.41 | 48.67 | 3.047 | 62.89 |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across South-eastern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 182.
Placed either side on work & labour
The countries immediately above and below Singapore in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Singapore is ahead of the world, and behind
15 more statistics filed under work & labour, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median10
Statistics on which Singapore does better than the middle country measured.
Labour Productivity per Hour WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 22.16100.4222.16▲ Improved since 2015
Singapore: 100.42 · world median 22.16 · Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.92 to 164.65; higher is better.
Position 4th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 47,384233,45447,384No real change since 2015
Singapore: 233,454 · world median 47,384 · GDP per person employed (constant 2021 international $). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2,456 to 262,554; higher is better.
Position 4th of 168 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Youth Not in Education, Employment or TrainingILO · 2024 · world median 14.316.44614.31▼ Worsened since 2014
Singapore: 6.446 · world median 14.31 · Youth not in education, employment or training (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.975 to 65.73; lower is better.
Position 90th of 97 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Fatal Occupational InjuriesILO · 2023 · world median 2.0050.992.005▲ Improved since 2013
Singapore: 0.99 · world median 2.005 · Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.12 to 8.409; lower is better.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3663.5753.36▲ Improved since 2015
Singapore: 63.57 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 26th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 61.6669.6761.66No real change since 2015
Singapore: 69.67 · world median 61.66 · Population aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.34 to 87.01; higher is better.
Position 29th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Youth Unemployment RateILO · 2025 · world median 12.836.78112.83▲ Improved since 2015
Singapore: 6.781 · world median 12.83 · Unemployment, ages 15-24 (% of youth labour force). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.457 to 76.77; lower is better.
Position 142nd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Female Share of Senior and Middle ManagementILO · 2024 · world median 35.8640.7135.86▲ Improved since 2021
Singapore: 40.71 · world median 35.86 · Women in senior and middle management (% of managers). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 7.226 to 56.69; higher is better.
Position 22nd of 86 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Trade Union DensityILO · 2020 · world median 16.6822.1816.68No earlier reading
Singapore: 22.18 · world median 16.68 · Employees who are trade union members (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.2 to 91.42; higher is better.
Position 48th of 139 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Firms with a Female Top ManagerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 19.1621.819.16No earlier reading
Singapore: 21.8 · world median 19.16 · Firms with a female top manager (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.429 to 62.9; higher is better.
Position 64th of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Employment in ServicesILO · 2025 · world median 59.5185.9159.51Moved since 2015
Singapore: 85.91 · world median 59.51 · Employment in services (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.56 to 92.17.
Position 4th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Average Weekly Hours WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 38.8944.6338.89Moved since 2015
Singapore: 44.63 · world median 38.89 · Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.64 to 54.7.
Position 24th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in IndustryILO · 2025 · world median 18.881418.88Moved since 2015
Singapore: 14 · world median 18.88 · Employment in industry (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 3.103 to 39.44.
Position 147th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Self-Employment RateILO · 2025 · world median 31.8412.6931.84No real change since 2015
Singapore: 12.69 · world median 31.84 · Self-employed (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.832 to 91.56.
Position 152nd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.380.09514.38No real change since 2015
Singapore: 0.095 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.
Position 182nd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Singapore
Informal Employment Rate, Public Sector Employment and Working Poverty Rate. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Work & Labour among Singapore’s 15 topics
Work & Labour is Singapore’s 7th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Mobility & Trade1st of 1473/3 keys
- Digital & Technology6th of 1983/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience8th of 1923/3 keys
- Food & Agriculture8th of 1752/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital12th of 1963/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions12th of 1944/4 keys
- Work & Labour17th of 1824/4 keys
- Economy & Innovationjoint 24th of 1764/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing30th of 2003/4 keys
- Peace & Security33rd of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties89th of 1983/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge85th of 1712/4 keys
- Energy108th of 1933/3 keys
- Gender & Equality105th of 1834/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability133rd of 1812/3 keys
No standing on Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on work & labour
The three countries placed highest of 182, and the leaders Singapore can most readily be measured against.
1
IcelandNorthern Europe
1st of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
JapanEastern Asia
2nd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
South KoreaEastern Asia
3rd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Japan2nd4/4 keysHighest in South-eastern Asia
Singapore17th4/4 keys
Positions out of 182 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Singapore and work & labour
On work & labour
Countries in Asia with the highest average salaries 2024
Thirteen Asian countries by gross average monthly wage, each carrying its WORLD rank rather than an Asian one — so the numbers skip, from 11th place to 45th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Highest Average Salaries in 2024
The ten highest-paying countries of 2024, their bars coloured by continent, and six more added for comparison — from Australia in 13th place to India in 85th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Lowest Average Salaries in 2024
The bottom ten of 196 countries, and six more added for comparison. Niger, Madagascar and Liberia are all published at US$47 a month and still carry three different ranks.
08Questions
Singapore on work & labour: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Singapore rank on work & labour?
Singapore is placed 17th of 182 countries on Work & Labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Employment-to-Population Ratio, Labour Income Share, Unemployment Rate and Vulnerable Employment). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Employment-to-Population Ratio figure for Singapore?
67.71 in 2025 (employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 57.72.
What is the latest Labour Income Share figure for Singapore?
43.22 in 2025 (labour income share of GDP (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 46.23.
How have Singapore’s work & labour figures changed?
Employment-to-Population Ratio rose from 62.95 in 2000 to 67.71 in 2025; Labour Income Share fell from 46.22 in 2004 to 43.22 in 2025; Unemployment Rate fell from 3.7 in 2000 to 2.818 in 2025; Vulnerable Employment fell from 9.791 in 2000 to 9.296 in 2025.
Which work & labour statistics are missing for Singapore?
No current reading is published for Singapore on Informal Employment Rate, Public Sector Employment and Working Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
Singapore, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions12th of 194
- Economy & Innovation=24th of 176
- Education & Knowledge85th of 171
- Health & Wellbeing30th of 200
- Development & Human Capital12th of 196
- Environment & Sustainability133rd of 181
- Gender & Equality105th of 183
- Democracy & Civil Liberties89th of 198
- Peace & Security33rd of 177
- Risk & Resilience8th of 192
- Mobility & Trade1st of 147
- Food & Agriculture8th of 175
- Energy108th of 193
- Digital & Technology6th of 198
- The full Singapore profile
Nearby, on work & labour
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Wages in money terms are not a key here, because pay figures are hard to compare fairly across countries with very different prices. Labour productivity, working hours, youth unemployment and the balance between farming, industry and services are published on this page as context. The size and growth of the wider economy belong to Economy & Innovation.
How the Work & Labour standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 18 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. All of them describe 2025.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 182 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Employment-to-Population Ratio — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Labour Income Share — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Unemployment Rate — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Vulnerable Employment — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
The other 15 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Singapore’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Singapore (banner) — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
- Iceland — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Singapore: Work & Labour — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/singapore/work