​On 12 January, Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said in the parliament that the employment rate for Singapore women has increased by 3.7% over the last decade (2010-2020) from 54% to 57.7%.

Giving more insight into the percentage, she says that there has been a rise from 41.1% to 45.6% of women professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs).

Other than that, the percentage of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has grown from 29.9% to 32.4%.

She added, "we are observing more women joining growth sectors such as the information and communications, financial services, and health and social services. Altogether, women make up 52.8% in these three sectors."

On the other hand, the minister has said that there is a small percentage of women who are not employed or fully employed due to them shouldering “caregiving responsibilities”. 15% of women said that they are not seeking employment as they would like to care for their family while 6% worked part-time for the same reason.

The government also provides support to those in caregiver roles and families who need caregiving by offering subsidised care services and grants which will support their needs. They are also trying their best to encourage the adoption of flexible work arrangements island-wide so that working caregivers can juggle both roles.

In order to increase the number of women in the workforce, Miss Gan has said that they will continue working with their tripartite partners and community stakeholders “to support women’s participation in the workforce and help them enter and remain in occupations of their choice."

It is awesome to see that more Singapore women are empowered into entering the workforce. For those who are preparing to set foot into the beginning of their careers or re-entering the force, it’s time to polish up that CV and start your job search!