Trend for PMET Employment among Different Age Groups

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Manpower what are the reasons for (i) the decrease in PMET employment for those aged below 30 in 2022 compared to previous years and (ii) the significant increase in PMET employment for those in their 40s to 50s.

Dr Tan See Leng: Professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) employment for those aged below 30 decreased from 222,000 in 2021 to 191,400 in 2022. This may be attributed to a higher share of young tertiary educated residents staying outside the labour force to pursue further education, leading to more youths entering the workforce at a later age. 1

PMET employment for those aged 40-59 increased from 620,100 in 2021 to 725,300 in 2022. The increase may be due to the tight labour market in 2022 as companies increased their workforce sizes in line with the post-pandemic economic recovery.

Note(s) to Question No(s) 27:

1 The proportion of young tertiary educated residents who were outside of the labour force because of further studies rose from 12.8% in 2021, to 15.2% in 2022.