Resident PMET numbers up by 380,000 over a decade; real income rises 21.6%

Increase in resident PMETs over 7 times the growth of foreigners in similar jobs

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Tay Hong Yi The number of Singapore resident professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETS) grew by 380,000 between 2013 and 2023, or more than seven times the growth of foreigners in similar jobs.

Over the same period, the number of Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders increased by 50,000, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng told Parliament.

He gave these figures on April 2 in response to Workers' Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC), who asked how the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) would ensure the bulk of new jobs created in 2024 will go to Singapore citizens and residents, including those aged 40 and above.

Dr Tan added that in growth sectors such as finance, Infocomm and professional services, resident PMETS increased by 190,000, while the number of EP and S Pass holders increased by 20,000 between 2013 and 2023.

"Residents" refers to both Singaporeans and permanent residents.

"More importantly, over the decade, resident income has also increased by 21.6 per cent in real terms, so we must not view residents and foreigners as a zerosum game and continue to draw divides," Dr Tan said.