IT SEEMS the more educated you are, the more opportunities you will have when you're looking for a job.

At least, that's according to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Job Vacancies 2007 report released on Monday.

Riding on Singapore's booming economy, the findings showed that there were more employment openings and better opportunities for job seekers of all educational levels last year.

Both private and public sector establishments, each with at least 25 employees, reported 35,498 unfilled positions in September last year. That's 19 per cent more than in the same period in 2006.

These unfilled posts formed 2.4 per cent of total manpower demand, up from 2.2 per cent a year ago.

Making up the largest number of these vacancies were occupations that required at least a university degree, at 7,754.

This was followed closely by positions requiring secondary qualifications at 7,727, reflecting a strong demand for service and sales workers.

Skilled jobs most in demand

Particularly in demand were skilled jobs, such as those in the managerial, engineering, accounting, financial, IT and nursing fields.

Positions for professionals, managers, executives and technicians made up nearly 40 per cent of job openings in the private sector last September. This is an all-time high in at least 10 years.

Most in demand were management executives (646), software engineers (566) and sales and marketing executives (438).

All in, the share of job vacancies that need workers to possess at least a university degree, polytechnic diploma or upper secondary qualifications rose by 0.5 to 2.8 percentage points, between September last year and the same month in the previous year.

But the share of vacancies for workers with secondary, primary or lower education fell by 0.8 to 2 percentage points.

Production jobs such as construction work, bus and lorry drivers, and cleaners made up 29 per cent of all job openings last year.

This was followed by clerical, sales and services' employment, which made up 26 per cent.

The job vacancies boom was led by the services sector, generating 71 per cent, or 25,158 job openings last September, up 23 per cent from a year ago.

Manufacturing vacancies took a 4.6 per cent dip with the fall in demand for production and related workers.

However, in the construction sector, job openings nearly doubled to 2,400, driven by demand for construction labourers, crane and hoiist operators, supervisors and foremen, and engineers.

To read the full report, log onto the MOM's website at http://www.mom.gov.sg/mrsd/publication.