Best-Paying Jobs in Singapore (2008)

297

(9 August 2009 – See the 2009 edition of this list.)

This is the 2008 edition of my annual list of the top 100 jobs in terms of pay (see last year’s edition).

This list is compiled based on data from MOM Occupational Wages Survey, which is published as part of the Report on Wages in Singapore 2007.

As with previous years, the MOM survey does not capture performance bonuses, profit sharing and stock options.

To generate the list, I looked at the third-quartile monthly gross wages of the selected jobs published. Explanation: if you’re at the third-quartile, or 75th-percentile, your pay is higher than 75% of the people.

Here’s the top 100 best-paying jobs:

  1. Specialised surgeon – $30,755
  2. Managing director – $24,472
  3. General surgeon – $17,872
  4. Commodities futures broker – $17,464
  5. General manager – $16,667
  6. Company director – $15,513
  7. Creative director (Advertising) – $13,000
  8. Legal service manager – $12,318
  9. Foreign exchange dealer and broker – $11,095
  10. Operations manager (Finance) – $9,808
  11. Legal officer – $9,790
  12. Risk management manager – $9,600
  13. Research and development manager – $9,385
  14. Computer operations and network manager – $9,300
  15. Training manager – $9,000
  16. Computer and information systems manager – $8,930
  17. Ship-master – $8,671
  18. Technical manager – $8,595
  19. Financial futures dealer and broker – $8,447
  20. Personnel / Human resource manager – $8,420
  21. Business development manager – $8,290
  22. Corporate planning manager – $8,290
  23. Fund manager – $8,125
  24. Treasury manager – $8,079
  25. Budgeting and financial accounting manager – $8,000
  26. Marketing manager – $8,000
  27. Power generation and distribution engineer – $7,848
  28. Engineering manager – $7,819
  29. Chemical engineer (Petroleum) – $7,678
  30. Manufacturing plant and production manager – $7,645
  31. Chemical engineer (Petrochemicals) – $7,547
  32. Advertising and public relations manager – $7,533
  33. Advocate and solicitor – $7,500
  34. Operations research analyst – $7,500
  35. Business management consultant – $7,437
  36. Procurement manager – $7,416
  37. Lawyer (except advocate and solicitor) – $7,400
  38. Quality assurance manager – $7,263
  39. Customer service manager – $7,142
  40. Sales manager – $7,100
  41. Logistics manager – $7,050
  42. Operations manager (Commerce) – $6,862
  43. Chemical engineering technician (Petroleum) – $6,696
  44. Automation engineer – $6,680
  45. Instrumentation engineer – $6,616
  46. Book editor – $6,538
  47. Surveyor – $6,523
  48. Industrial health, safety and environment engineer – $6,503
  49. Building architect – $6,500
  50. Transport operations manager – $6,400
  51. Editor (Newspapers and periodicals) – $6,369
  52. Marine superintendent engineer – $6,340
  53. Audio and video equipment engineer – $6,307
  54. Premises maintenance manager – $6,304
  55. Personal banker – $6,250
  56. Chemist – $6,241
  57. Electrical engineering technician (High voltage) – $6,225
  58. Business analyst – $6,205
  59. General physician – $6,173
  60. Administration manager – $6,150
  61. Financial analyst – $6,000
  62. Securities dealer and broker – $5,750
  63. Shipping manager – $5,721
  64. Building and construction project manager – $5,720
  65. Property / Estate manager – $5,715
  66. Physicist – $5,700
  67. Editor (Radio, television and video) – $5,658
  68. Information technology security specialist – $5,646
  69. Advertising copywriter – $5,600
  70. Director (Stage, film, television and radio) – $5,512
  71. Automotive engineer – $5,500
  72. Naval architect – $5,480
  73. Chemical engineering technician (Petrochemicals) – $5,424
  74. Chinese physician – $5,316
  75. Financial planner – $5,283
  76. Aeronautical engineer – $5,242
  77. Chemical engineer (General) – $5,187
  78. Broadcasting operations technician – $5,178
  79. Market research analyst – $5,174
  80. Producer / Director of commercials – $5,150
  81. Manufacturing engineer – $5,137
  82. Systems programmer – $5,111
  83. Actuary – $5,100
  84. Production engineer – $5,091
  85. Sales representative (Technicial) – $5,089
  86. Database administrator – $5,080
  87. Semi-conductor engineer – $5,035
  88. Mechanical engineer – $5,000
  89. Ship rigger – $4,933
  90. Systems designer and analyst – $4,914
  91. Network systems and data communication analyst – $4,894
  92. Sales representative (Medical and pharmaceutical products) – $4,857
  93. Flight operations officer – $4,801
  94. Civil engineer – $4,746
  95. Script writer – $4,740
  96. Warehousing manager – $4,706
  97. Materials engineer – $4,689
  98. Electrical engineer – $4,665
  99. Credit analyst – $4,631
  100. Electronics engineer – $4,615
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297 Comments

  1. To yeahyeah, I am not an AO nor civil servant. Let’s just say I am obscenely surrounded by them by social AND blood ties.

  2. Ai yo u all talk so cheem I dont understand.
    Just give me food and HDB flat can liao.
    We peasants just want to eat and sleep and dont care who do what!
    Actually best job is to be peasant cause got u all scholars to take care of us and ensure Singapore GDP continues to grow and one day we may even be bigger than US!

  3. Insider, you sound like a frustrated PSC-OMS/SAFOS/SPFOS-reject. You are also probably working in a weak stat board and probably feeling lousy and unhappy and wanting to get out. I can see why because you could not even spell “Bain” properly. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because I am sure you can succeed if you get out of your funk and stop denigrating others with your comments. Not becoming an AO or not getting a govt scholarship in Singapore is not the end of the world. I certainly wish your social circle widens to non-civil servants who are doing well in their respective fields. You can see that there are many talented people out there who did well without govt scholarship!

  4. No sweating here insider. No need to take my word for it that MAS comes under PMO, just check out the official link. Happily enough, you’ll also be able to verify whether “all ministries report to PMO” as you so ignorantly claim: http://www.pmo.gov.sg/AboutPMOffice/

    It’s a pity you aren’t an AO or civil servant – your willingness to provide strident “analysis” on the relative importance of scholars in statutory boards and ministries without actually being there is a characteristic that will put you in good stead should you decide to join. AOs and civil servants LOVE to do this.

    And I’m not even going to start explaining about MOF and its utter lack of a formal relationship with MAS.

  5. chickenriceseller on

    Yup I am doing very well selling chicken rice in a hawker centre.
    One plate $2.50 and I make about 50% profit margin. I can sell up to 100 packets/plates a day so I earn $125 a day which is a lot considering that I only have O level.
    However, less people buying chicken rice from me so u scholars must attract more foreign talents to buy chicken rice for me as foreign talents save jobs and dont compete with me for a living.
    Few degree holders will want to sell chicken rice and my son who has a degree from nut is asking me to sell chicken rice set which is $5.50 with extra egg and vegetables and choice of either chicken drumstick or chicken wing.
    Let us all hand in hand so that chicken rice sellers like me can prosper in S’pore. Maybe one day I can IOP too and become tow kar!

  6. i find it amusing if spelling mistakes means someone is not very smart.

    anyway, good information on AO and civil servants etc. i accept that if one is smarter and work harder, he makes more. 300k by 32 is very impressive.

  7. It’s highly amusing that people like insider2 miscomprehended due to whatever understanding deficiency he may have, factual information I provided about the ranks and tiers of PSC scholarships, and the set up of the ministries and stat boards and what work is done at which level- purely factual and extremely common knowledge among literate Singaporeans- and managed to misconstrue that as “One can only succeed if one manages to bag either a SAF/SPFOS or OMS”.

    Which is strange. Nowhere in my posts did i say that. I said that there are ranks to the top PSC scholarships, I listed the ranks, and stat board scholarships are for PSC rejects. Facts.

    All of us know that in Singapore, there are various ways to success. Examples like David Gan, Bee Cheng Hiang and Boon Tong Kee abound not only in the media, but before our very eyes. I never once said that insider2 can’t find his success by selling chicken rice. Sure, if his chicken rice is as good as BTK’s, he’ll also make it big. Factual information about scholarship tiers and organisation set-up cannot be disproved; its in fact surprising such intuitive knowledge is not known by those who claims to be savvy or well-read.

    if one isn’t insecure and unsure of oneself, one wouldn’t have leapt into a barrage of self-consoling and affirmative speech. You don’t even need to go to the private sector as a professional, like what he so desperately promulgated in his response to me.

    Any kind of skill or offering that you have that makes you the top among what you offer like David Gan or Boon Tong Kee is sufficient. So no need to keep reassuring yourself when you react to facts from me.

  8. Pinabonds, all ministries come under the PSD. It’s the PSD who despatches the various AOs to whichever ministry it deems.

    Please note that PSD is under PMO. All ministries are under PSD.

    PMO provides administrative support to MAS. MAS is the central bank. Does MAS have fiscal policy jurisdiction? Or is it MOF that formulates our fiscal policy and the Budget? You only need to answer your own questions.

    Insider2, please stop reassuring yourself by your repeated barrage of replies to me. I didn’t even bother reading your latest post in detail, because I glanced enough of it and saw your repeated self assurance that was irrelevant to what I said about 1) the ranks of all government scholarships 2) the ranks of PSC scholarships 3) the organisation set up.

    You didn’t address anything I said. I never said that unless a Singaporean is clever enough up to a certain standard, he is a failure. Please stop mirroring your insecurities onto me. I am an innocent bystander.

    I’m sure you’ll do very well in your stat board even though you’re a farmer. So please, stop reassuring yourself by harassing me.

  9. insider2, my friend just emailed me saying that you’re the one who’s obviously a OS and OMS reject. I didn’t know what you said earlier because i didn’t bother to read your post but now i have. Funny that you’ll think i’m in a stat board, nope, i’m in the private sector. However, our analysis of you is you’re a farmer in a stat board which you think is ‘strong’, as opposed to your insult to me that i’m in a ‘weak’ stat board and you’re taking umbrage with cold hard facts I presented leading to you going way off-tangent and going on and on about success in general. totally out of point.

    *giggles* i won’t ever join a stat board if i apply to public sector.

  10. Pinabonds, you and I know who the real insider is. 🙂

    insider, the reason why you are in the pte sector and why you keep harping on how prestigious SAFOS/SPFOS/OMS is, is probably because you were a scholarship-reject. Period. If that is not true, tell us plainly on this forum that. If not, silence means consent.

  11. Insideabarrel on

    Insider. So many facts wrong. Logic also wrong. Do you work as a private banker or something? 1) ministries do not report to PSD you moron. PSD is in charge of civil servant deployment in a hr and training capacity across all ministries, but thts not the same thing as saying that ministries are ‘accountable’ to PSD. What a laughable idea!

    2) You’re absolutely right. MAS does not set fiscal policy. Neither does DBS. Nor GIC. You know why? By definition, only MOF can set fiscal policy – as rightly should be the case. This in no way explains your assertion that MOF is superior to MAS or any other organization for that matter. By that logic MEWR is better than Mindef bec they control water resources and god knows we all need water. MAS sets monetary policy. Mof doesnt. Does that mean MOF is inferior? Of course not. But at least say something abt the relative importance of either fiscal or monetary policy to express your view.

  12. Oh geez. Ronaldo can you please come back? I find your “15k 28yrs” mantra more interesting than this whole new “amusing statboard discussions” that are going on among sooooo many insiders.

  13. insider, do u need to argue/defend/rebutt with so much details? we are all in this forum for information/details/discussion that are difficult to find elsewhere so pls spare us from your invaluable “insider” justifications/reasonings etc etc blah blah blah + we are not interested in what your friend says or claims even if you and your friend might be correct. lastly, your “giggles” makes you sound like a girl or sissy

  14. Hi I am odlanor amd I earn 28K at the age of 15 thanks to my dividends income given to me by my rich dad odlanor senior.
    He used me to reduce income tax but is it legal?

  15. Hi odlanor, I think you are the real winner here, clearly a cut above the whiners in this forum. Nothing anybody can do to you under the current laws. =) Congrats!

  16. if i’m not wrong, 28k per mth is just nice under the first 320k… a savings of $20+ k then if your dad need to file under 1 name…

    You should ask your dad for at least $10+ k pocket money for the savings he made!

  17. Hi. I would like to know how much does a radiographer and radiation therapist in singapore earn for a month? thx.

  18. well bubbleburst, you better be sure that if you become a radiographer you better know how to reaed your x rays properly.i’m helping my client sue a certain cock eyed and negligent radiographer who apparently misdiagnosed a very obvious case of breast cancer.

    i can’t tell you how much a radiologist earns,but he will definitely not be earning in excess of 300k in damages that we are going to sue him for.

    hopefully that doesnt burst your bubble.

  19. ignorantly yours on

    dear PSC scholars/alumni out there,can you please enlighten this ignorant fella here on the perceived disadvantage that i might have,when i come back to singapore looking for a job in the public service with a excellent law degree from cambridge(on FMS nevertheless)?will i,having decided not to be bonded to the government at 18 years old be prejudiced against?

  20. Thanks for your reply underclass. Appreciate it. Although that didn’t really ‘burst’ my bubble yet.
    And my question still hasn’t been answered. Anyone? Thanks again.

  21. civil servant on

    Hey I not scholar but my master say civil service pay u yr last drawn pay if reasonable so welcome back to Singapore!

  22. can anyone tell me whats the difference between a Foreign exchange dealer and broker?

  23. BROKER – fetches the prices for dealers/traders/customers. based in brokerages/clearing houses.

    DEALERS – deals executors in banks/corporates/instituitions

    TRADERS – takes risk for profit.

  24. Thanks Adiemuso, how much does a forex dealer and trader make? what requirement is needed to become 1?

  25. dealer starts from 2000. it depends on the name.

    trader starts from zero. it depends on the name.

    dealing/trading circle is small. high barriers to entry. no clear definition of requirements. but aptitude in figures, high threshold of stress levels and quick/fast thinking are basic definite attributes.

    in current mkt conditions, its not easy for a freshie to get in. there are tons of experienced dealers/traders out there looking for a job as well.

  26. relaxing on his yacht.he will be back when the economy swings to the upturn in 2012

  27. i wanna learn forex and get myself a job,a forex dealer. but donno where to start. anyone can guide some tips for me? thanks~

  28. Hi blaez, blok.

    Broker and dealer terms are used interchangeably most of the time. They are sales positions whose job is to bring in clients and commission to their company, by executing trades in financial markets (equities, commodities, forex etc) Min. requirement is a diploma though almost all new hires these days are uni grads.
    To get a headstart, u shld register for and pass CMFAS modules 1,5,6 (7 is for futures products)
    A business/accounting degree is not essential but it’s an advantage. If u have high net worth or corporate/instituitional client contacts who are willing to trade through u, u will have a very significant advantage over other ppl.

    Brokers/dealers are like property agents, financial planners. Their earnings fluctuate from time to time and differ for diff individuals. The bottom ones earn less than 2k/mth. The top ones can earn 20-100k/mth during gd times. Investment bank broker-dealers will earn more than that.

  29. Hi blaez, blok.

    Broker and dealer terms are used interchangeably most of the time. They are sales positions whose job is to bring in clients and commission to their company, by executing trades in financial markets (equities, commodities, forex etc) Min. requirement is a diploma though almost all new hires these days are uni grads.
    To get a headstart, u shld register for and pass CMFAS modules 1,5,6 (7 is for futures products)
    A business/accounting degree is not essential but it’s an advantage. If u have high net worth or corporate/instituitional client contacts who are willing to trade through u, u will have a very significant advantage over other ppl.

    Brokers/dealers are like property agents, financial planners. Their earnings fluctuate from time to time and differ for diff individuals. The bottom ones earn less than 2k/mth. The top ones can earn 20-100k/mth during gd times. Investment bank broker-dealers will earn more than that.

  30. Hi commods. thks for the info. do u mind linking some companys that are recruiting dealers?

  31. Vinod Kumar on

    Dear Sir plz. find in attach My Resume I’m working with Reliance Capital as a Sales Manager Apr. 08 to till date and my total experience is near about 5 year’s

  32. Hi Vinod somehow I did not get your resume. Can you please try again–please use the “Attach File” button this time, thanks.

  33. unpredictable on

    seems like the prospects of working as valuer or real estate analyst in the real estate indsutry isnt as good as i thought.

    hmm i’m offered smu biz mgmt degree and nus real estate degree respectively. as much as many have ask me to go for my interest, i have difficulty choosing. both interest me.

    so i guess it’s the career advancement prospect and starting pay upon graduation from the degree that matters to me. at least for now.

    anyone can guide me on this? would really appreciate ur help!

  34. unpredictable on

    to add on, majoring in finance in smu sounds good to me. however, studying real estate in nus might give me greater opportunity fsince this is a rather niche market and there are lesser grads from this course

  35. predictable on

    When you graduate in finance in 3-4 years, it’s highly possible that the financial sector would have turned the corner with good jobs aplenty. As for real estate, I’m speaking as an outsider but my opinion is that the only high earners are the top property agents and the very senior people like Kwek Leng Beng and his management, otherwise a salaried job in real estate is just like any others out there. If you want high income, sales and finance are the way to go. If you want stability, any other industry should suffice.

  36. unpredictable on

    ty for for ur prompt reply and this lead me to some idea bout which course to choose =)

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