Singapore Job Market Update 2026 for Sabah and Sarawak Jobseekers
For jobseekers in Sabah and Sarawak, Singapore still looks attractive. But the market signal is no longer broad-based. Some lanes still look structurally stronger, while others are getting more crowded.
The current MOM signal
MOM's Labour Market Report for 3Q 2025 says occupations in technology, nursing and logistics remained in shortage, while administrative, clerical and customer-service roles had an oversupply of jobseekers.
What this means for East Malaysians
For Sabah and Sarawak applicants, this means the safer search strategy is usually:
- practical sectors with clear pass routes
- logistics and operations-linked roles
- stronger technical or specialist jobs when the profile supports it
It is usually weaker to rely only on generic office-job applications.
Why this matters more now
MOM's foreign-workforce numbers show Singapore still had over 203,300 EP holders, 178,900 S Pass holders, and 1,222,700 Work Permit holders as of December 2025. The market still uses foreign manpower heavily, but employers are more selective about fit.
Bottom line
For Sabah and Sarawak jobseekers, the better move is not to apply everywhere. It is to aim at the sectors where demand, pass logic, and candidate background line up more cleanly.
