George Yang, Author at Goody Feed

MOM’s latest wage data has revealed the occupations with the highest median salaries in Singapore, and three jobs are tied at the top with S$20,000 a month. The three occupations are financial derivatives dealer, diagnostic radiologist and flying instructor, excluding those serving in the air force. However, there is one important date to note. While MOM released the Occupational Wages 2025 tables on 30 June 2026, the salaries were recorded in June 2025. Therefore, these are the latest available figures, but they do not necessarily represent salaries being paid in July 2026. Three Jobs Had Median Gross Monthly Wages of S$20,000 According to MOM’s data, the three highest-paying occupations by median gross monthly wage were: Financial derivatives dealer: S$20,000 Diagnostic radiologist: S$20,000 Flying instructor, excluding air force: S$20,000 A median salary of S$20,000 does not mean that every worker in the occupation earned exactly that amount. The median is the middle salary after workers are arranged from lowest-paid to highest-paid. Half of the workers earned more than the median, while the other half earned less. There was also a fairly wide range of salaries within some of these occupations. For diagnostic radiologists, the 25th-percentile gross wage was S$10,849, while the 75th-percentile wage was S$30,000. Flying instructors had a similar spread, with a 25th-percentile wage of S$9,567 and a 75th-percentile wage of S$30,000. Technology, Finance and Aviation Dominated the Next Positions After the three occupations earning a median of S$20,000, senior technology and finance roles occupied several of the next positions. Chief information officers, chief technology officers and chief information security officers had a combined occupational median gross wage of S$17,812. Risk management managers followed closely at S$17,077, while commercial airline pilots had a median of S$17,053. Other highly paid occupations included: ICT sales and services professional: S$15,841 Fund or portfolio manager: S$15,750 Company director: S$13,839 Ship broker: S$13,792 Chief operating officer or general manager: S$13,750 This means that most of the highest-paying occupations were concentrated in finance, technology, aviation and senior management. The S$20,000 Figure Does Not Include Bonuses MOM’s definition of gross monthly wage includes basic salary, overtime payments, commissions, allowances and other regular cash payments. It is measured before the deduction of the employee’s CPF contributions and personal income tax. However, it excludes employer CPF contributions, bonuses, stock options, lump-sum payments and benefits provided in other forms. This distinction is especially important for senior managers, brokers, dealers and other employees whose bonuses may form a substantial part of their total annual compensation. Their actual annual income could therefore be considerably higher than the monthly figures shown in the table. The Data Does Not Cover Every Worker in Singapore The survey covered full-time Singapore citizens and permanent residents working in private-sector establishments with at least 25 employees. MOM surveyed 5,232 establishments employing around 391,300 full-time resident employees. The survey had a response rate of 98 per cent. Part-time workers, temporary workers, apprentices, trainees and workers who worked for only part of June 2025 were excluded from the monthly wage calculations. The figures also do not cover foreign employees or workers employed by smaller establishments with fewer than 25 employees. MOM cautioned that occupational wage figures should be treated as salary-benchmarking guides rather than guaranteed salaries. Two people with the same job title may still receive very different salaries because of differences in experience, qualifications, responsibilities, performance and the size of their employer. In other words, putting “Chief Technology Officer” on LinkedIn tomorrow probably will not cause S$17,812 to appear in your bank account next month. The Typical Singapore Worker Earned Considerably Less For broader context, MOM’s separate income statistics showed that the median gross monthly income of full-time employed residents was S$5,775 in 2025. However, the S$5,775 figure is not directly comparable with the occupational wage figures. It includes employer CPF contributions and one-twelfth of annual bonuses, while the occupational wage figures exclude both. It also covers the self-employed, whereas the occupational wage survey focuses on employees. Therefore, the main takeaway is not that a typical worker earning S$5,775 can simply change careers and immediately receive S$20,000. Instead, MOM’s latest occupational data shows that highly specialised medical, financial and aviation roles continue to command some of the highest regular monthly wages in Singapore. I don't know about you, but I feel so poor after writing this.