MOM’s study used an internationally comparable measure developed with the International Labour Organization, which assesses whether a worker’s highest qualification exceeds the level typically required for their occupation.
The findings are based on data from the Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, which covered about 33,000 households in Singapore.
NTUC’s study, conducted with about 1,100 Singapore citizens and permanent residents in October 2025, complemented this with survey-based and self-assessed indicators such as skills, qualification and field-of-study mismatches to provide a broader picture of underemployment.
