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While MOM expects wages to continue rising this year, it has cautioned that employers are likely to be more conservative with salary increases due to global uncertainty and inflationary pressures.<\/span><\/p>\n Nominal wages of full-time resident employees grew at a slower pace in 2025 than in the previous year, according to the latest MOM data released last Thursday (May 28).<\/span><\/p>\n Analysts said this could require graduates to recalibrate their expectations or risk prolonging their job search.<\/span><\/p>\n According to Mr Anurag Garg, country lead at recruitment firm Michael Page Singapore, unrealistic salary expectations could create challenges for both jobseekers and employers.<\/span><\/p>\n “On the candidate’s side, they may feel a little bit more frustrated because the job search is longer, they may risk missing out on an opportunity if their expectations are unrealistic. They may not get a second chance at this opportunity.”<\/span><\/p>\n “And from the employer side, they are all trying to go after the best candidates, so they may suffer from higher offer rejection rates, they may have a frustration that it’s taking them longer to hire.”<\/span><\/p>\n Mr Garg added that prolonged mismatches between expectations and available opportunities could contribute to underemployment, where workers take on roles that do not fully utilise their skills.<\/span><\/p>\n This could have implications for hiring timelines and how quickly young workers enter the workforce, noted Mr Garg.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is slightly concerning, because it signals a structural expectation gap and not something which is temporary. Employers may feel (they) are quite competitive \u2026 but candidates clearly don’t agree. So, this may lead to longer job searches,\u201d he cautioned.<\/span><\/p>\n