New Singapore Opportunity Index lets Singapore workers compare employers using real career outcomes

Jobseekers and employees in Singapore can now compare potential employers using the country’s first data-driven workforce ranking, which evaluates companies on actual career outcomes rather than self-reported information.

The Singapore Opportunity Index (SOI), launched today by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the Singapore National Employers’ Federation (SNEF), and NTUC, identifies 300 organisations excelling in five key areas that matter to workers: career progression, pay, hiring practices, staff retention and, gender parity.

These represent the top 20 per cent of nearly 1,500 organisations assessed.

Information on all 300 employers is now publicly available at www.singaporeopportunityindex.sg, allowing workers to see which companies offer opportunities aligned with their career stage and goals.

“The SOI supports this shared effort by providing the transparency that empowers workers to choose employers offering pathways aligned with their aspirations.

“At the same time, it enables employers to benchmark their practices against objective standards,” Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng said at the launch event.

Three types of good employers

The tool recognises that different organisations excel in different ways, identifying three models that benefit workers at various career stages:

Career Launchers remove unnecessary entry barriers and focus on skills over formal credentials, making them ideal for those starting out or changing careers.

Career Builders promote from within and create clear advancement pathways, suiting workers seeking to climb the ladder and develop new skills.

Career Anchors provide stable, long-term employment with strong retention rates, offering security for those seeking to deepen expertise in one place.

Some organisations qualified under multiple models, while others demonstrated consistent strong performance across all five areas.

The recognised employers span all sectors – from multinational corporations such as PwC Singapore, SATS and Google Asia Pacific, to small and medium enterprises and public agencies, including community organisations such as Rainbow Centre Singapore.

Based on real employment data, not surveys

Unlike traditional employer rankings that rely on employee surveys or company submissions, the SOI uses verified Government data from close to one million Singapore citizens and permanent residents.

The diversity amongst the top 300 shows that employers across all industries and sizes can create opportunities through deliberate workforce strategies.

Employment outcomes are shaped by employers’ choices and practices rather than predetermined by external forces such as industry sector or company size, according to MOM.

“Employers shape opportunity every day through deliberate human capital choices – ranging from hiring practices, development pathways, and job design.

“These decisions accumulate over the course of an individual’s career and make a real difference to whether they progress, stagnate or thrive,” Minister Tan said.

Research published in Harvard Business Review found that organisations performing well on the SOI implemented coherent, integrated talent systems rather than isolated policies.

Part of broader Career Health push

The new employer transparency tool forms part of Singapore’s Career Health SG initiative, which provides multiple resources for workers to take charge of their career development.

Workers can use CareersFinder on MyCareersFuture.sg for personalised upskilling and career recommendations. Those needing more guidance can access career coaching services from Workforce Singapore (WSG) and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), or participate in the Polaris personalised career guidance programme.

Job switchers can leverage the Careers & Skills Passport to signal their skills and experience more effectively to prospective employers on partner job portals JobStreet Singapore and FastJobs.

For those looking to reskill for new roles in growth sectors, WSG’s Career Conversion Programmes and SkillsFuture Singapore’s SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme provide support.

Employers to receive benchmarking reports

While the public-facing tool empowers workers, employers will also benefit from detailed individual reports that show how they compare with industry peers.

MOM, NTUC, SNEF and Singapore Business Federation (SBF) will progressively provide organisations with granular data and benchmarks. Companies can tap on the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package and NTUC’s Company Training Committee Grant for funding support to improve their practices.

Tripartite partners will also distil best practices and case studies to create resources benefiting all organisations, including those not yet covered by the index.

Tripartite launch amid manpower constraints

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng unveiled the rankings on 21 January 2026 at a ceremony attended by over 500 business leaders, alongside NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, SNEF President Tan Hee Teck and SBF Vice-Chairman Mark Lee.

First introduced in October 2025, the SOI was developed by MOM in partnership with the Singapore University of Social Sciences and the Burning Glass Institute, which created similar indices in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The index is one of the key recommendations from the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development, established to uplift capabilities across Singapore’s economy amid increasing manpower constraints.

The launch event at Orchard Hotel featured a keynote address by Burning Glass Institute President Matt Sigelman and industry sharing from PwC Singapore and SATS on their human capital practices.