Hiring, but cautiously: Targeted recruitment, more contract roles expected in 2026

Consumer-facing sectors are grappling with high rental costs, rising manpower costs and tighter margins that limit their ability to grow headcount, she said.

With the exception of the electronics sector, manufacturing was still singled out by several experts who agreed that export-oriented segments may experience weaker hiring in 2026.

“Global demand remains uneven, and firms in these sectors tend to manage uncertainty by controlling headcount and investing more in automation rather than labour expansion,” said Ms Poltock.

She also painted a “more nuanced picture” in the technology sector, with subdued hiring for generalist and “non-core tech roles” and higher demand for specialised roles.

“Companies are increasingly focused on (return on investment), leading to fewer roles that do not directly support revenue growth or transformation priorities,” she said.

Similarly, Randstad’s Mr Blasco observed that employment in outward-oriented sectors like general professional services and some areas of technology has eased.

“The ‘weakness’ here isn’t necessarily a lack of business, but rather a structural shift where routine administrative tasks are being automated or moved to shared services,” he said.

NAVIGATING THE JOB HUNT

The top PME vacancies in 2025 were for teaching and training professionals, commercial and marketing sales executives and software, web, multimedia and game developers and designers, according to Manpower Ministry data.