Negotiating your salary can feel like walking a tightrope. What if you ask for too much and don’t get the job? What if this is the best you’re going to get?
As one HR survey found, the truth is that “98% of employers under offer but only 3% of employees negotiate.”
The bigger question here is: do you know your worth? How much compensation is fair for what you’ll be putting in?
That’s where salary information websites can provide a good benchmark. Today, we’ll be going through the best websites to scope out your expected pay range along with resources before you head into an interview with a potential employer.
Read also: High Paying Jobs in Singapore and What It Takes to Get There
6 Salary Information Guides for Singapore
The following websites provide information on industry averages. We’ll also cover what each of them is good for specifically:
1. Glassdoor
Glassdoor began as a US website where current and former employees anonymously rate their companies. Because reviews are user-generated, it provides a real glimpse into what a company is really like. The one drawback is that because it relies on user reviews, it tends to only have information on bigger companies.
What can you find here?
- Salary range with an average base pay for specific positions
- Seniority levels and suggested career paths
- Related job titles and vacancies
- Ability to search salaries and ranges in Singapore based on employer
- Testimonials about what it’s like to work at specific companies
- Frequently asked questions about the job position and its salary
- Recent salary reports
What is this site good for?
- Extensive career development resources
- Transparency as employees discuss their workplaces anonymously
2. Indeed SG
Indeed is a job listing portal that also provides data on salaries by role or industry. It pulls job listings from thousands of websites, including company pages and other job boards.
The caveat here is that it’s more useful as a source of information rather than an actual job portal: many of the listings are outdated, so we’d still recommend going directly to the company’s website if possible.
What can you find here?
- Average base salary for specific positions
- Top companies for a specific job position in Singapore, along with reviews
- Overview of the highest paying towns in Singapore for a specific job position
- Ability to compare salaries for a specific position in different locations
- Job openings and recommendations
What is this site good for?
- Doubles as a job search and career advice portal
- It’s one of the highest-traffic job boards globally, so it has a lot of good data
3. Michael Page
Michael Page is a recruitment firm that prides itself on “connecting the world’s brightest professionals and leading brands.” Because they work as middlemen, they keep tabs on the sectors they recruit in and publish resources on hiring trends and salary information.
You won’t get the same level of detail here as with Indeed or Glassdoor, but their Salary Comparison Tool is a quick way to get data on specialisations in specific industries.
What can you find here?
- Median salary for specialisations
- Graphical representation of how your salary compares to the average
- Computation of how much you’re paid vs the median
What is this site good for?
- Individual career development with lots of articles available on job search and career advice, management advice, market insights, and so on
4. Ministry of Manpower Salary Comparison
It’s no surprise that the Singapore government tracks salary and employment conditions, but it’s a little rarer that they’ve put in a bit of effort to make this information accessible to the public.
What can you find here?
- Percentile rankings of salaries for specific job positions
- Comparison of your job with related occupations and their corresponding salaries
- Local salary information sorted by age, sex, industry, and company size
What is this site good for?
- Local data broken down into demographic groups
5. Paylab
Paylab is a global salary survey platform that collects and reports the income data of certain positions. What’s nice about Paylab is that they don’t just track the gross income of certain specialisations: they also ask about the hidden bonuses companies provide, such as health insurance riders and the ability to work remotely.
What can you find here?
- Average gross salary
- Computed percentage difference of the average gross salary vs your salary
- Comparison of your income vs those of employees in a similar age range and position
- Monthly updates on salary comparisons
- Depiction of your purchasing power based on your gross monthly pay
What is this site good for?
- Extensive survey including questions on company perks for a more granular level of detail
- Comparison of your salary vs the same position in other countries
6. Payscale
To be fair, Payscale is actually more targeted at companies than job seekers: they leverage big data to ensure companies have the tools they need to make their compensation packages competitive.
That said, they do have useful tools for individuals as well — like a salary report to evaluate job offers and an average salary database so you can see what the local market is paying.
What can you find here?
- Pay range with breakdown for base salary and bonus
- Graph depicting pay according to years of experience
- Short descriptions of the responsibilities and daily tasks of job positions
- Common skills for specific positions along with skills that impact salary — so you know where you can grow
- Potential career paths, job listings, and salary ranges
What is this site good for?
- Personalised reports on your market worth
- Additional resources such as a cost of living calculator, career path planner, and salary negotiation guide
3 Tips on How to Negotiate Your Salary
Much of the work in salary negotiations comes before the actual interview with potential employers. Only when you have a good understanding of what you want — and what the market is willing to pay — do you have leverage during the conversations.
To that end, here are our tips on negotiating your salary:
1. Know Your Own Priorities
The biggest question mark is, “Should I settle? What if I don’t get a better offer?”
Our answer is that it depends on what else is offered. Not everyone prioritises a high salary. You may prefer other benefits such as professional development, recognition and rewards, or perhaps flexible working hours.
Companies that offer lower salaries will usually make it up with incentives such as:
- More annual leave
- Better healthcare packages or insurance add-ons
- Greater priority on work-life balance
On the other hand, some companies may offer heftier salaries with less attractive add-ons!
Think about what you value in your life and how your compensation package might be able to support that.
2. Do an Assessment of Your Market Worth
Tools like Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth calculator are a great way to get personalised estimates.
Other than that though, it’s a good idea to check out the skills needed for specific roles and how they impact pay packages. If you have a rare skill (or perhaps a solid track record in delivering on that particular skill), you may be able to adjust your salary range upwards.
Your resume (or portfolio) can also highlight projects you’ve worked on, which will give you ammo to justify why you’re worth the extra investment to a potential employer.
3. Do Recon During the Interview
One of the most sensitive job interview questions ever: “What are your salary expectations?”
This is tricky because your answer will vary depending on which stage of the interview process you’re in.
If you’re in the final round of interviews, there’s a good chance the company may accommodate your remuneration expectations. But if you’re in the early stages, answering poorly may eliminate you as a candidate.
Here’s how you can go about answering this question:
- I need more details: “At this point, I’d need to know more information (overtime, travel requirements, etc.) about the role before I can give you an accurate answer.”
- What’s the range?: Acknowledge the approved position and ask for the salary range “There must be an approved salary range. Can I ask what it is?”
- Give a wide range: If the employer doesn’t give you a range and continues pressing for a number, then give a larger range so as to not limit your options.