Singapore ranks as one of the leading countries in the world in terms of closing the gender wage gap. However, the data released by the Ministry of Manpower revealed that the gender income gap in Singapore has not improved in any way in the last 10 years.
In the World Economic Forum’s annual global gender gap report in 2016, Singapore ranked as the 17th most equal country in terms of economic participation and opportunity out of 144 countries.
This compares favourably to the following countries:
- US at 26th,
- Australia at 42nd,
- the UK at 53rd
- India at 136th.
However, the ranking might be masking the fact that the gender wage gap still exists in a real and persistent manner in Singapore.
It was further noted in comparison with the 2016 report, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2017 noted that Singapore’s performance in closing its gender gap worsened. With a change in rank from 17th Ranked 65th out of 144 countries, Singapore slipped 48 positions from 2016. The slip was due in part to other countries improving, but also, more significantly, due to a poorer absolute score which may arise from women being increasingly found in lower-paying positions.
According to the data released by the Ministry of Manpower:
| Median Gross Monthly Income
(This monthly wage figure includes employer CPF contributions. |
|||
| 2006 | 2016 | ||
| Men | Women | Men | Women |
| SGD $ 2,452 | SGD $ 2,053 | SGD $ 3,991 | SGD $ 3,382 |
| Difference of 19% | Difference of 19% | ||
Below is an Illustration of the data from ValuePenguin:
Industries with the Largest Gap
Upon a closer look at the data released by the Ministry of Manpower, it was noted that certain industries listed below had much wider gender income gap than the others, where the men made more than S$1,000 per month more than women in the same industry.
- Health & Social Services
- Public Administration and Education
- Information & Communications
- Financial and Professional Services
As an exception the Transportation & Storage Sector was noted to have more women that earned a higher gross median income than men.
Below is an illustration of the date, from ValuePenguin showing the gaps from industry to industry:
Industries with the Smallest Gap
The following industries had the smallest gap between the wages for men and women.
- Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
- Agricultural Industries
- Administrative & Support Services
Below is an illustration of the date, from ValuePenguin showing the gaps from industry to industry:
Other Interesting Information regarding the Wage Gap in Singapore:
- Over the last 10 years Singapore has seen the number of women in the workforce jump by 15%, according to the World Economic Forum.
- Women make up 15% of chief executives in Singapore: the highest in Asia and third highest in the world, according to Credit Suisse.
- On average women are paid at least 10% less than men for doing the same job in most sectors, according to a study from the Ministry of Manpower.
Please feel free to contact us, if you have any questions regarding the above.
