What the Singapore Salary Guide Doesn't Tell You About Careers

High-paying jobs get attention, but careers are shaped as much by mentorship, growth, and purpose as by the monthly pay cheque.

- Sriram Iyer

The Singapore Salary Guide 2025, published by The Straits Times, has quickly become a trending topic among mid-career professionals, fresh graduates, and job seekers in the Republic.

This comprehensive guide enables individuals to benchmark their salaries against peer averages by inputting factors such as age, current pay, and job role.

But as the numbers circulate, a deeper question emerges: Should a career be defined by a single figure, or is it time to look beyond the payslip?

SALARY GUIDES CAN BE HELPFUL BUT HAVE LIMITATIONS

Among the guide's highlights are the highest-paying roles, which naturally attract attention. Flying instructors ($20,000), foreign exchange brokers ($19,750), and in-house legal counsel ($17,972) top the list, followed by commodities traders, senior technology leaders, and airline pilots. These examples underscore how specialized skills and leadership roles command premium pay.

The buzz surrounding this report highlights its distinction from other traditional and more generic salary guides. The Singapore Salary Guide 2025 uses more individual-specific factors to offer comparisons against a relevant peer group—by age, industry, and gender. This nuanced approach enhances the appeal and usefulness of the guide, providing professionals with sharper insights into how their pay aligns with that of their peers.

The public interest also reflects two broader forces shaping the workforce. First, pay transparency: Professionals increasingly want to know if they are being compensated fairly compared with peers, especially amid rising living costs. They expect openness and fairness in how salaries are determined.