Average Social Worker Salary in Singapore for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Social Worker salary for 2024 in Singapore and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Singapore dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the SGD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Social Worker Make in Singapore?

A Social Worker working in Singapore will typically earn around 31,080 SGD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 17,540 SGD to the highest average salary of 46,160 SGD.

Average Annual Salary
31,080 SGD
Average Monthly Salary
2,590 SGD

Lowest Annual Salary
17,540 SGD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,461 SGD

Highest Annual Salary
46,160 SGD
Highest Monthly Salary
3,846 SGD

These are average salaries for a Social Worker in Singapore and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Social Worker to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Social Worker salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Social Worker Salaries in Singapore

So we've looked at the average salaries a Social Worker will earn in Singapore. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Social Worker can earn between 17,540 SGD and 46,160 SGD on average in Singapore. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Social Worker in Singapore is 26,280 SGD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 26,280 SGD, and 50% of the population earn more than 26,280 SGD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Social Worker salary in Singapore, 25% of the population are earning less than 21,540 SGD while 75% of the population earn more than 21,540 SGD.

75% of the population earn less than 34,480 SGD, and 25% of the population earn more than 34,480 SGD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Social Worker Salary by Experience Level in Singapore

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average social worker salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Social Worker in Singapore that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 18,280 SGD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Social Worker salary would increase to 25,220 SGD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Social Worker, the average salary would be 32,200 SGD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 37,740 SGD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Social Worker with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 42,400 SGD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Social Worker with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 43,340 SGD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
18,280 SGD
2-5 Years +26%
25,220 SGD
5-10 Years +32%
32,200 SGD
10-15 Years +18%
37,740 SGD
15-20 Years +11%
42,400 SGD
20+ Years +6%
43,340 SGD

Social Worker Salary by Education Level in Singapore

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Social Worker in Singapore based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Social Worker in Singapore with a high school education can earn an average salary of 25,220 SGD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Social Worker in Singapore with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 32,900 SGD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Social Worker in Singapore with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 44,180 SGD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
25,220 SGD
Certificate or Diploma +37%
32,900 SGD
Bachelor's Degree +29%
44,180 SGD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Singapore is around 42,200 to 127,000 SGD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Social Worker Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Singapore, a male social worker will earn an average of 31,540 SGD, while a female social worker will earn around 29,600 SGD.

This means that a male social worker earns approximately 7% more than a female social worker for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Singapore

Male
31,540 SGD
Female -7%
29,600 SGD

Social Worker Average Pay Raise in Singapore

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Social Worker in Singapore is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Singapore is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Social Worker in Singapore can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Singapore for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Singapore.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
7%
Energy
5%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
1%
Travel
8%
Construction
6%
Education
4%

Social Worker Bonus and Incentive Rates in Singapore

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Social Worker is a low bonus based job, with 26% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

74% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2%.

Received Bonus
26%
No Bonus
74%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Singapore earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
103,440 SGD
Private Sector -5%
98,540 SGD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Social Worker

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Social Worker in Singapore.

Job Title Category Salary
Activity Aide Fundraising and Non Profit 35,260 SGD
Activity Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 31,080 SGD
Activity Leader Fundraising and Non Profit 57,860 SGD
Adoption Specialist Fundraising and Non Profit 102,620 SGD
Assistant Programme Officer Fundraising and Non Profit 61,460 SGD
Campaign Manager Fundraising and Non Profit 119,900 SGD
Charities Administrator Fundraising and Non Profit 75,220 SGD
Charities Fundraiser Fundraising and Non Profit 79,280 SGD
Civil Servant Fundraising and Non Profit 29,600 SGD
Civil Service Administrator Fundraising and Non Profit 49,700 SGD
Community Health Worker Fundraising and Non Profit 30,840 SGD
Community Relations Representative Fundraising and Non Profit 47,720 SGD
Community Service Manager Fundraising and Non Profit 101,120 SGD
Community Volunteer Fundraising and Non Profit 31,180 SGD
Community Worker Fundraising and Non Profit 27,560 SGD
Custodial Worker Fundraising and Non Profit 33,980 SGD
Education Planning Specialist Fundraising and Non Profit 105,620 SGD
Foundation Assistant Fundraising and Non Profit 43,760 SGD
Foundation Director Fundraising and Non Profit 148,300 SGD
Foundation Program Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 85,700 SGD
Fundraiser Fundraising and Non Profit 73,820 SGD
Fundraising Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 52,180 SGD
Fundraising Director Fundraising and Non Profit 142,300 SGD
Fundraising Manager Fundraising and Non Profit 134,600 SGD
Grant Writer Fundraising and Non Profit 42,460 SGD
Healthcare Social Worker Fundraising and Non Profit 34,240 SGD
Homeless Shelter Worker Fundraising and Non Profit 30,840 SGD
Major Gift Officer Fundraising and Non Profit 31,980 SGD
Orphan Program Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 50,660 SGD
Rehab Aide Fundraising and Non Profit 34,380 SGD
Rehabilitation Aide Fundraising and Non Profit 36,160 SGD
Sponsorship Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 45,260 SGD
Volunteer Coordinator Fundraising and Non Profit 40,420 SGD

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