Less job switching, especially by those in their 20s, suggests growing caution among workers, says MOM

SELF-EMPLOYED AND PLATFORM WORKERS

The proportion of self-employed workers, which includes platform workers, stayed low at 11.8 per cent in 2025. This figure has fallen in recent years as a post-pandemic hiring surge drew more workers into regular employee jobs, said MOM.

The number of residents who do self-employed work as their main job increased from 169,000 in 2024 to 179,200 this year.

The vast majority of them choose self-employment because they prefer it, with this share of workers rising to 95.5 per cent this year – the highest level since 2016.

Flexibility in working hours and location, freedom in choice of work and greater control over their careers are the most popular reasons for choosing self-employment.

In contrast, the number of workers who do self-employed work on the side of their main jobs fell from 32,100 in 2024 to 29,000 this year.

The number of platform workers rose to 71,600 this year, up from 67,200 in 2024. They make up 2.9 per cent of employed residents – comparable to the proportions in 2023 and the pre-pandemic period, said MOM.

The increase was driven by private-hire car drivers, who make up just over half of platform workers, reflecting stronger demand for their services. Numbers of taxi drivers and delivery workers remained stable.

The share of self-employed workers who faced challenges in their work dropped from 66 per cent in 2016 to 18.2 per cent this year, although there were increases during the pandemic years.

This reflects continuing efforts by the government and tripartite partners to address key concerns about healthcare, retirement, payment-related disputes and loss of income due to work injury, including through the Platform Workers Act, said MOM.

Uncertainty of finding enough work remained the top challenge faced by 9 per cent of self-employed workers, followed by lack of sufficient work and healthcare- and retirement-related concerns.

MOM’s Comprehensive Labour Force Survey collected data from 33,000 households, with an overall response rate of 86.8 per cent.

The ministry also surveyed 3,363 residents for its supplementary survey of self-employed workers, of whom 92.5 per cent responded.