Find out what you should be earning based on your industry, role, and experience level. Updated May 2026 based on MOM data and industry surveys.
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A salary benchmark is a distribution rather than a single number. Published figures normally report a median plus quartiles for a role, and the spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is often wide enough that two people with the same job title sit twenty percent apart legitimately. What moves someone within that range is years of experience, sector, company size, whether the role carries budget or headcount responsibility, and how scarce the specific skill is at that moment.
Benchmarks also age quickly. A figure gathered a year ago reflects a different vacancy rate and a different competitive picture. In Singapore the official series to anchor against is the Ministry of Manpower income statistics, which reports gross monthly income from work including employer CPF, broken down in a way that lets you compare like with like rather than against a self reported average.
Government statistics come first because the sample and methodology are published. MOM labour market statistics cover income, job vacancies and turnover. Vacancy data is particularly useful before a negotiation, since a role with many unfilled openings gives you more leverage than one with few. the MOM job vacancies report sets out where demand actually sat across sectors.
Recruitment agency salary guides are useful for role specific detail that official data does not capture, but read them knowing they are drawn from that agency placements rather than the whole market, and that they have a commercial interest in the numbers looking healthy. Crowd sourced figures are the weakest tier, because the sample self selects and rarely states whether a figure includes bonus or CPF.
Go in with a range rather than a figure, anchored on a source you can name. Saying that MOM data places the median for your role and experience band at a particular level is a different conversation from saying you feel underpaid. Ask about the band for the role rather than stating a demand first, since the employer usually has one.
Separate base salary from the rest of the package. CPF contributions, bonus structure, leave and training budget are all negotiable and often easier for a hiring manager to move than base pay in a fixed band.
They describe a distribution rather than a precise figure. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile for one job title is often around twenty percent, so a benchmark tells you the plausible range and where you might sit in it, not what you will be paid.
Ministry of Manpower statistics first, because the methodology and sample are published and the figures cover income, vacancies and turnover. Recruitment agency guides add role specific detail but reflect their own placements. Crowd sourced figures are the least reliable tier.
It depends on the source, and that is the most common reason two figures appear to disagree. MOM income statistics report gross monthly income from work including employer CPF contributions. Always check what a published figure includes before comparing it to your own package.
Open with a range anchored on a named source rather than a single figure, and ask what band the employer has for the role before stating your own number. Citing official statistics turns the conversation into one about market rates rather than personal feelings.
Negotiate the rest of the package. Bonus structure, leave, flexible working and a training budget are often easier for a hiring manager to adjust than base pay, which is frequently fixed within a band set above them.