As border restrictions and Covid policies eased in Singapore, companies faced less difficulty filling job vacancies and remote work is now slowly returning to normal levels, the Ministry of Manpower found in a study.

According to the Job Vacancies 2022 report, the proportion of vacancies which involved work that can be done remotely has fallen from 31% in 2021 to 21% in 2022. The ministry said this reflects the normalisation of remote work trends as more workplace activities resumed on-site when pandemic-related restrictions eased in 2022.

Also, in 2022, newly created positions fell from 44% in 2021 to 39% in 2022 of all job vacancies. Conversely, the ministry reported, the proportion of replacement vacancies rose.

Along with the lifting of border restrictions and safe management measures in 2022, employers sought to fill positions left vacant during the pandemic.

The information and communications sector saw the highest proportion at 69% of vacancies for new positions.

Meanwhile, professional, management, executive and technical vacancies formed the majority of available vacancies in 2022 at 56% which reflected manpower demand for skilled workers. The trend in digital technology continued to highlight the growing need to recruit talent in these areas, as well as in healthcare and registered nurses, according to the report.

The report is based on an annual survey carried out every September.