How Singapore insurance lagged employers in Q2 2026

Utilities and Natural Resources ranked lower at negative 11% in the latest sector table.

Singapore’s insurance sector is expected to slow hiring in the second quarter of 2026, based on the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. 

Employers in Singapore’s Finance and Insurance sector reported a Net Employment Outlook of 11%, which means hiring plans remain positive overall, but at a much weaker level than many other industries.

The 11% reading puts Finance and Insurance near the bottom of the sector rankings in Singapore. 

Only Utilities and Natural Resources was lower, at negative 11%. By comparison, the strongest hiring outlooks were in Information at 41% and Construction and Real Estate at 39%.

The insurance-related outlook also showed the sharpest drop from the previous quarter. 

Finance and Insurance fell by 23 percentage points, making it the biggest quarter-on-quarter decline amongst all sectors tracked in Singapore.

Across the wider market, Singapore employers reported a national Net Employment Outlook of 24% for Q2 2026. 

That came from 45% of employers planning to increase staff and 21% expecting reductions, whilst 33% expected no change and 1% were unsure. This means insurance is hiring at a much slower pace than the national average.

Globally, the picture for Finance and Insurance was stronger. The sector posted a Net Employment Outlook of 35% worldwide in Q2 2026, up 2 percentage points from the previous quarter. 

That suggests Singapore’s insurance hiring market is underperforming the global sector trend.

The survey was based on responses from more than 530 employers in Singapore and 41,764 employers across 42 countries. 

Data was collected between 1 January and 3 February. ManpowerGroup said the findings reflect employer sentiment at that time and may not capture the effect of later geopolitical developments in the Middle East.