Singapore PMET vs Non-PMET Salary Benchmark Calculator 2026 — MOM Occupation Median Salaries, Percentile Ranking, COMPASS C1 65th and 90th Percentile Check, Employer CPF Total Compensation, Lifetime Career Income Gap and Career Transition ROI

PMET STANDS FOR PROFESSIONALS, MANAGERS, EXECUTIVES AND TECHNICIANS — a classification used by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to categorise higher-skilled workers. The four occupational groups that make up PMETs are: (1) Managers and Administrators: senior decision-makers including CEOs, directors, general managers and department heads. (2) Professionals: occupations requiring university-level education including engineers, doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects and IT professionals. (3) Associate Professionals and Technicians: diploma-level or vocational qualifications including laboratory technicians, supervisors, sales engineers and insurance agents. (4) Executives: a subset term often used colloquially in Singapore for office professionals across finance, marketing and operations. From September 2025, MOM has also operationally defined PMETs as any employee earning at least S$3,300 per month for the purpose of COMPASS nationality diversity assessments, making salary a secondary classification criterion alongside occupation type.

BASED ON MOM LABOUR FORCE SURVEY DATA FOR 2025 (THE MOST RECENT AVAILABLE), the overall median gross monthly income for PMETs is approximately S$7,308 per month. This compares dramatically to the non-PMET median of approximately S$3,000 per month. The PMET premium represents a gap of more than double the non-PMET median. Within PMET categories: Managers and Administrators earn the highest median at S$10,820 per month. Professionals follow at S$8,363 per month. Associate Professionals and Technicians earn approximately S$4,800 per month (the lowest PMET band). Within non-PMET categories: Clerical Support Workers earn a median of S$3,510. Service and Sales Workers earn S$3,107. Cleaners and Labourers earn the lowest at approximately S$2,070 per month. The data highlights that even the lowest PMET category (Associate Professionals) earns approximately 60% more than the median clerical worker and more than double the median cleaner wage.

THE PMET INCOME PREMIUM COMPOUNDS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER A CAREER DUE TO THREE FACTORS: (1) The base gap: a worker starting at the non-PMET median of S$3,000 versus the PMET median of S$7,308 generates a monthly gap of S$4,308. Over 30 working years, this translates to a cumulative income gap of approximately S$1.55 million before investment returns or CPF compounding. (2) The growth trajectory: PMET salaries peak later and higher. MOM data shows PMET salaries peaking between age 40 to 49 at approximately S$9,351 per month median. Non-PMET salary progression is much flatter, with minimal growth after age 35. (3) CPF compounding: the employer CPF contribution (17% for under-55s) on higher PMET salaries results in substantially larger CPF OA and SA balances over a career, directly impacting housing affordability (HDB and BTO downpayments) and retirement savings. The total career wealth gap between a PMET and non-PMET worker at equivalent age starts is typically S$1 million to S$2 million in direct income plus S$200,000 to S$400,000 in additional CPF accumulation.

THE COMPASS C1 SALARY CRITERION IS ONE OF FOUR FOUNDATIONAL CRITERIA in Singapore MOM COMPASS assessment framework for Employment Pass (EP) applications. It compares the foreign candidate salary against the distribution of local PMET salaries in the same sector. Scoring: 20 points if salary is at or above the 90th percentile of local PMETs in the sector. 10 points if salary is at or above the 65th percentile. 0 points if salary is below the 65th percentile. Practical impact: An EP candidate needs a total COMPASS score of at least 40 points (from up to 120 possible). C1 alone can contribute 0, 10, or 20 of those points. A candidate scoring 0 on C1 (salary below 65th percentile) requires compensating scores from qualifications, firm diversity, and local PMET support criteria. The C1 benchmarks are updated quarterly by MOM and vary by sector (ICT, financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare). Employers should use this calculator to check whether a candidate salary meets the 65th or 90th percentile benchmark before negotiating the offer letter.

FROM SEPTEMBER 2025, MOM ADOPTED A SALARY-BASED OPERATIONAL DEFINITION for PMET classification in the context of the COMPASS framework diversity assessment. An employee (local or foreign) earning at least S$3,300 per month in fixed monthly salary is counted as a PMET for the purpose of calculating a firm PMET workforce composition and nationality diversity scores under COMPASS criteria C3 and C4. This salary threshold replaced the previous occupation-category only approach for COMPASS purposes. However, for general MOM occupational statistics, salary surveys, and fair employment practices, the original four-category occupational definition (Managers, Professionals, Associate Professionals and Technicians) still applies. Practically: a clerical worker earning S$3,400 per month would be counted as a PMET for COMPASS company headcount purposes but would still be classified as a non-PMET worker in MOM occupational income statistics. This dual-definition approach requires employers managing COMPASS compliance to use both criteria.

THE FAIR CONSIDERATION FRAMEWORK (FCF) APPLIES SPECIFICALLY TO PMET JOBS in Singapore and requires employers to advertise PMET vacancies on MyCareersFuture.sg for at least 14 consecutive calendar days before submitting an Employment Pass or S Pass application for that role. FCF requirements apply to all job vacancies for PMET roles where the salary is below S$22,500 per month. Key FCF obligations: Job advertisements must be fair and open, without discriminatory language based on race, nationality, or gender. The advertisement must remain live for 14 days and the employer must genuinely consider local (SC and PR) candidates. MOM monitors FCF compliance via the Job Vacancy Imbalance Report (JVIR), identifying firms with disproportionately low local PMET employment relative to their sector peers. Companies flagged on the JVIR face enhanced scrutiny of work pass applications and may have applications rejected. Employers should maintain records demonstrating genuine fair consideration of local candidates for each PMET vacancy.

PMET STATUS AFFECTS RETRENCHMENT NOTIFICATION OBLIGATIONS FOR SINGAPORE EMPLOYERS. Under MOM Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower, employers retrenching PMETs in larger numbers face additional requirements: Companies with 10 or more employees retrenching 5 or more PMETs within any 6-month period must notify MOM via the Retrenchment Notification portal. This applies specifically to PMET roles. For non-PMET retrenchments, the notification threshold is more complex and based on total headcount reduction. Additionally, the Tripartite Advisory on Responsible Retrenchment sets norms for retrenchment benefits: the guideline of 2 weeks per year of service applies to both PMET and non-PMET workers, but MOM market norm is 1 month per year of service for PMET workers at financially healthy companies. PMET retrenchment benefits are typically higher in absolute dollar terms because PMET salaries are higher. A PMET earning S$8,000 per month retrenched after 5 years at the market norm 1 month per year would receive S$40,000, compared to S$15,000 for a non-PMET at S$3,000.

THE PRIMARY PATHWAYS FOR NON-PMET WORKERS TO TRANSITION TO PMET STATUS IN SINGAPORE: (1) Professional qualification upgrade: Completing an IHL full qualification (polytechnic diploma or university degree) that qualifies the worker for professional or associate professional roles. Diplomas typically lead to Associate Professional classification. Degrees typically lead to Professional classification. (2) SCTP (SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme): Structured 3 to 12 month programmes specifically designed to retrain workers for PMET roles in high-demand sectors including ICT, financial services, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. (3) Progressive Wage Model (PWM) pathways in specific sectors: In cleaning, retail, food services, and security, the PWM roadmap includes supervisor and technician tiers that are PMET-classified. Workers who complete required training and reach supervisory roles move into PMET territory. (4) On-the-job promotion: Internal promotion to supervisory, management, or specialist roles that reclassify the position as PMET. This typically requires demonstrated performance plus employer-sponsored qualification attainment. The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme provides significant financial support (up to S$4,500 in credits plus up to S$3,000/month MCTA training allowance for age 40+) to fund these transitions.

MOM PUBLISHES DETAILED OCCUPATION-INCOME PERCENTILE DATA through the annual Labour Market Statistics that allows precise positioning within each occupational group. Key data points for Singapore 2025: For Managers and Administrators: 25th percentile approximately S$6,800, median S$10,820, 75th percentile approximately S$16,000. This wide spread reflects the difference between junior managers (S$5,000 to S$6,000) and senior executives (S$20,000 to S$30,000+). For Professionals: 25th percentile approximately S$5,500, median S$8,363, 75th percentile approximately S$12,000. Technology professionals drive the upper end. For Clerical Support Workers: 25th percentile S$2,500, median S$3,510, 75th percentile S$4,500. Very compressed range showing limited income mobility in clerical roles. The data also shows the age-income peak varies dramatically by occupational group: PMETs peak later (age 45 to 49) and decline more gradually. Non-PMETs peak earlier (age 35 to 44) and at much lower levels. This timing difference means mid-career upskilling investments by non-PMETs, even at age 40 to 45, can still deliver a decade or more of premium PMET income.

THE EMPLOYER CPF CONTRIBUTION RATE IS THE SAME REGARDLESS OF PMET STATUS (17% for employees under 55, on the Ordinary Wage ceiling of S$8,000 from 2026), but the dollar amount differs dramatically due to the salary gap. On a PMET median salary of S$7,308 per month: Employer CPF = S$7,308 x 17% = S$1,242 per month. Employee CPF = S$7,308 x 20% = S$1,462 per month. Total CPF = S$2,704 per month, or S$32,448 per year. On a non-PMET median salary of S$3,000 per month: Employer CPF = S$510 per month. Employee CPF = S$600 per month. Total CPF = S$1,110 per month, or S$13,320 per year. The CPF gap between PMET and non-PMET workers is S$1,594 per month or S$19,128 per year. Over a 30-year career, this CPF gap compounding at the standard OA rate of 2.5% and SA rate of 4% generates a retirement savings differential of approximately S$800,000 to S$1,000,000, depending on the specific account allocation and compounding period. This CPF wealth gap, on top of the direct income gap, represents the true magnitude of the PMET vs non-PMET career value difference.

MOM INCOME BY AGE AND OCCUPATION DATA SHOWS THE DIVERGING TRAJECTORIES of PMET and non-PMET workers through their careers. At age 25 to 29: PMETs earn approximately S$6,068 median, non-PMETs approximately S$2,800. Gap: S$3,268/month. At age 30 to 34: PMETs approximately S$7,500, non-PMETs S$3,100. Gap: S$4,400/month. At age 40 to 44: PMETs peak at approximately S$10,000, non-PMETs plateau at S$3,400. Gap: S$6,600/month (widest gap). At age 50 to 54: PMETs begin declining to approximately S$8,500, non-PMETs S$3,200. Gap still S$5,300/month. At age 60 and above: PMETs approximately S$4,800 (many move to part-time or lower-seniority roles), non-PMETs approximately S$2,200. Gap narrows to S$2,600/month. The data reveals that the PMET premium is widest during peak earning years (40 to 49) when career investment (upskilling, qualifications) made in the 30s delivers its maximum return. Workers who transition to PMET roles in their early 40s can still capture 15 to 20 years of premium PMET income before the natural age-income peak decline.

THE PROGRESSIVE WAGE MODEL (PWM) IS SINGAPORE TRIPARTITE MECHANISM to narrow the income gap at the bottom of the wage scale by mandating wage progression tied to skills upgrading and productivity improvements in covered sectors. PWM sectors include: Cleaning, Security, Landscape, Retail, Food and Beverage Services, Waste Management, and Administrative Support occupations (since 2023). Under PWM, workers in covered sectors must receive minimum wages that increase as they complete specified training and achieve higher job levels. The top tiers of the PWM in many sectors reach or approach the lower end of the non-PMET to PMET transition zone. For example, a senior supervisor in the cleaning sector under the 2026 PWM schedule may earn S$3,200 to S$3,500 per month — approaching the COMPASS operational PMET definition of S$3,300. PWM effectively creates a structured progression path within non-PMET occupations, with the highest PWM tiers serving as stepping stones toward PMET income levels. The combination of PWM for income floor raising and SkillsFuture for upskilling represents Singapore integrated approach to narrowing the PMET vs non-PMET wage gap through skills rather than minimum wage mandates.

TO DETERMINE IF YOUR ROLE IS PMET-CLASSIFIED IN SINGAPORE, apply these tests in order: (1) Occupation category test: Does your job title and duties fall under Managers and Administrators, Professionals, or Associate Professionals and Technicians? If yes, you are PMET-classified by occupation. Common PMET roles: software engineer, accountant, nurse, teacher, architect, marketing manager, financial analyst, electrical engineer, administrative manager. Common non-PMET roles: cashier, delivery driver, production operator, cleaner, security officer, cook, data entry clerk, retail assistant. (2) Salary test (from September 2025 for COMPASS purposes): Do you earn at least S$3,300 per month in fixed monthly salary? If yes, you are operationally PMET for COMPASS diversity counting, even if your occupation might otherwise be classified differently. (3) MOM Occupation Category (SSOC) lookup: Singapore Standard Occupational Classification (SSOC) assigns occupation codes to all job roles. SSOC codes 1xxx (Managers), 2xxx (Professionals), and 3xxx (Technicians and Associate Professionals) are PMET. SSOC codes 4xxx (Clerical), 5xxx (Service/Sales), 6xxx-9xxx (Production, Trades, Operators, Labourers) are non-PMET. You can look up your SSOC code at singstat.gov.sg.

THE SKILLSFUTURE LEVEL-UP PROGRAMME IS EXPLICITLY DESIGNED TO SUPPORT MID-CAREER WORKERS (particularly non-PMETs and lower-tier PMETs) in transitioning to higher-skilled, higher-wage roles. Three key components for non-PMET to PMET transitions: (1) SkillsFuture Credit Mid-Career Tier: S$4,000 for Singapore Citizens aged 40 and above, on top of S$500 base credit. This S$4,500 can be used for SCTP and IHL qualifications that lead directly to PMET roles. (2) Mid-Career Training Allowance (MCTA): Up to S$3,000 per month (50% of salary) while studying full-time, for up to 24 months. A clerical worker earning S$3,500 who takes a 12-month SCTP receives up to S$1,750 per month in MCTA, plus up to 90% course subsidy. (3) Enhanced Course Fee Subsidies: SCTP programmes receive up to 90% subsidy for Singapore Citizens aged 40+. A S$6,000 data analytics SCTP costs only S$600 after subsidy, then S$600 offset by SkillsFuture Credit = S$0 out of pocket. Combined, the Level-Up Programme makes non-PMET to PMET transitions in Singapore among the most financially supported in the world. The net cost of training that delivers a S$4,000 per month salary increase can be effectively zero.

PMET SALARY PREMIUMS VARY SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS SECTORS IN SINGAPORE, with technology, financial services, and professional services consistently paying the highest PMET wages. Highest-paying PMET sectors in 2026: (1) Information and Communications Technology (ICT): Software engineers S$6,000 to S$15,000. AI/ML engineers S$8,000 to S$20,000. Cybersecurity specialists S$7,000 to S$18,000. (2) Financial Services: Investment banking analysts S$6,000 to S$12,000. Quantitative analysts S$10,000 to S$25,000. Risk managers S$8,000 to S$18,000. (3) Professional Services (Law, Consulting, Accounting): Senior consultants S$6,000 to S$12,000. Legal associates S$7,000 to S$15,000. Big Four managers S$7,000 to S$14,000. The sectors with the most rapid PMET salary growth in Singapore in 2025 to 2026 include generative AI development, cybersecurity, sustainability-related roles, and advanced manufacturing engineering (driven by the Singapore Semiconductor and Precision Engineering sectors). Sectors where PMET salaries are growing slowest or declining include traditional media, retail management, and some administrative management roles affected by automation. The COMPASS C1 benchmark thresholds vary by sector, reflecting these different distributions.

THIS IS THE ONLY SINGAPORE CALCULATOR THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVIDES: (1) PMET classification check based on both occupation category (MOM SSOC groups) and the September 2025 salary threshold of S$3,300 (COMPASS operational definition); (2) Salary percentile within occupation group using MOM LFSESS 2025 data (not just median comparison); (3) COMPASS C1 benchmark check showing whether salary meets the 65th percentile (10 points) or 90th percentile (20 points) across 6 key sectors; (4) Employer CPF total compensation breakdown showing true employment cost vs headline salary; (5) Lifetime career income gap in S$ between current salary and PMET median over remaining working years; (6) Career transition ROI calculation showing break-even months and total career gain from PMET upskilling; (7) Age-income trajectory chart comparing PMET, non-PMET, and your current salary across career stages; (8) Branded PDF report combining all metrics for financial planning or career counselling discussions. Salary tools from Michael Page, Morgan McKinley, and similar recruiters show only role-level benchmarks from their placements database. This calculator uses official MOM population data for Singapore-wide occupation medians.