The Singapore Tourism Board expects the opening of new hotels by end-2026 to create more jobs
[SINGAPORE] The tourism sector is on a hiring spree, accounting for about 75 per cent – or more than 5,000 – of the 6,700 job postings on Workforce Singapore’s MyCareersFuture portal in the second quarter, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Friday (Oct 17).
Close to 700 positions were available from more than 20 exhibitors – including hotels, event organisers, attractions and travel agencies – at a career fair held during the inaugural Singapore Hospitality & Tourism Conference on Friday, STB said in a press statement.
The openings ranged from data management and business intelligence analysts to international ski and snowboard management trainees.
The one-day conference, held alongside travel trade show ITB Asia, aimed to “inspire students and graduates to explore rewarding career pathways in tourism”, said STB.
The agency added that hiring momentum is expected to continue as new hotels – such as Hotel Waterloo Singapore – Handwritten Collection and Varel Singapore, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel – are slated to open by end-2026. This would add more than 1,500 hotel rooms to the current stock.
“The sector is actively hiring,” noted STB. “These extensive job opportunities reflect the tourism sector’s resilience, supported by strong employment trends.”
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As at June this year, Singapore’s total tourism workforce stood at 75,000, up by more than 8 per cent from 69,000 a year earlier, the agency added.
Referencing Singapore’s road map for the next decade of tourism growth, Rachel Loh, STB’s executive director for hospitality and tourism talent, said that as the country advances on its Tourism 2040 strategy, it is important to build a future-ready sector by transforming businesses, growing skills and creating good jobs.
“This means aspiring tourism professionals need evolved skill sets, including digital and AI (artificial intelligence) literacy and sustainability expertise,” she noted.
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Fu Chuan Chong, director of Republic Polytechnic’s School of Hospitality, said that institutes of higher learning are also updating their hospitality and tourism programmes to meet industry needs.
These include work-integrated learning, industry projects and continuing education courses to equip both students and workers with relevant skills.
