Professionals in the finance sector are expected to be the biggest winners on the salary front. They are set to command pay rises of 15 to 30 per cent as Singapore cements its status as a global financial hub, said global recruitment firm Michael Page International.

These include staff involved in the booming private banking and wealth management field--catering to the swelling ranks of cashed-up types. In fact, some professionals in this sector with special skills could be looking at pay rises of up to 40 per cent, the survey found.

Not surprisingly, jobs in the booming property and construction sector are also among those set for hefty pay hikes. A salary rise of 15 to 20 per cent is on the cards for project management roles in construction.

And real estate professionals are in line for a 10 per cent pay rise as the property market continues to flourish over the next 12 months.

The findings are from an annual survey, involving 1,400 employees and 170 employers in Singapore.

The latest results were released on Friday last week. They point to a tightening labour market in which employers will need to offer higher salaries to attract and retain professionals.

Said Florence Ng, managing director of Michael Page International (Singapore): "Competition for skilled workers will only intensify, when you consider that 96 per cent of the employers we surveyed predict staff numbers to remain constant or increase in the coming year.