Singapore AI jobs pay up to S$350K/year as global firms ramp up hiring

Summary

• AI salaries in Singapore rose 15% to 25% over the past year, outpacing nominal wage growth among full-time workers.

• Robert Walters, an international recruitment firm, estimates fresh AI hires earn S$70,000 to S$90,000 yearly, while top researchers can approach S$350,000.

• Singapore aims to triple its pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 over three to five years under its national AI strategy.

SINGAPORE: Singapore is attracting more AI companies, bringing new jobs and higher pay as global firms compete for skilled workers. The expansion offers opportunities across research, engineering, sales and business applications.

Anthropic opened its Singapore office on Oct 14, making it the company’s fifth in Asia-Pacific and its first in Southeast Asia. Earlier, OpenAI committed more than S$300 million to Singapore in May, including plans for an applied AI lab expected to hire over 200 specialists.

In August, OpenAI was also reportedly in talks to lease about 100,000 square feet at Shaw Tower. Alongside salary figures showing how the demand for AI talent is changing Singapore’s job market, Vulcan Post reports (Oct 16).

Chinese tech firms and chipmakers join the hiring race

Chinese tech companies are also looking to Singapore’s universities for talent. Huawei, Alibaba, ByteDance and Trip.com increased campus hiring at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2026.

Ant Group said more than 70% of technical roles in its 2026 spring graduate campaign focused on AI. Some Chinese firms are reportedly offering annual packages of S$200,000 to attract AI PhD holders.

Meanwhile, a Tech in Asia tracker found that 30 of the world’s 250 most valuable AI companies were hiring in Singapore by mid-June. OpenAI led the list with 37 vacancies.

Demand extends beyond software companies. Semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research plans to add about 200 Singapore jobs this year, nearly 90% involving specialised engineering work supporting AI chips.

AI salaries rise faster than typical wages

Pay depends on the role, experience and employer. Figures compiled show substantial differences across positions.

Fresh AI hires can earn S$70,000 to S$90,000 yearly, according to Robert Walters. Top AI researchers and leaders can earn close to S$350,000.

PERSOL’s 2026/27 salary guide puts annual AI engineer pay at S$72,000 to S$144,000. Data scientists can earn S$90,000 to S$168,000, while cybersecurity managers command S$84,000 to S$180,000.

Hays estimates AI engineers can earn between S$72,000 and S$200,000 annually. Selby Jennings places junior AI researchers at global tech firms and banks in the S$180,000 to S$220,000 range.

Robert Walters says AI salaries rose 15% to 25% over the past year, compared with 4.9% nominal wage growth for full-time workers.

Skilled AI builders have an advantage

The talent shortage helps explain the high salaries. ManpowerGroup ranked AI development and AI literacy among Singapore’s hardest skills to fill, at 26% and 25% respectively.

Across Southeast Asia, there are just 1.4 qualified AI candidates for every 10 open roles, compared with 2.8 in North America.

Singapore aims to increase its pool of AI practitioners to 15,000 over three to five years under its National AI Strategy 2.0.

The opportunity is factual, but just knowing how to use AI may not be enough. People who can build systems, apply AI to business needs, or support its deployment will have more ways to compete.

For jobseekers, the next move is to build skills employers can use, then match those skills to roles that offer room to grow.

Read related: Singapore’s NTU ranks No. 1 in AI globally; NUS leads in engineering