PSA to hire 2,500 more staff as Singapore’s ports on track to break cargo-handling record

SINGAPORE : The Republic could beat its own cargo-handling record for the second consecutive year as US tariffs send businesses rerouting their shipments, and the nation’s largest port operator intends to increase its headcount by some 2,500 employees this year.

Singapore handled 14.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) – a measure of cargo capacity – from January to April this year, representing a 6.1 per cent year-on-year jump over the same period in 2024.

The fresh figures were revealed by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat at a media doorstop during a visit to PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal recently.

“Container has remained strong despite what’s happening around the world with greater turbulence, uncertainty and shifts in global supply chains,” said Chee, who added that this is something he hopes can continue.

When asked about the factors driving the year-on-year growth, the minister replied: “In the near term, because of the pause in higher tariff rates, there is actually a boost in terms of companies trying to do some front-loading and catching up, trying to make full use of this 90-day window. In the near term, certainly there is some growth due to that.”

South-east Asia earlier faced levies ranging from a baseline 10 per cent to as high as 49 per cent, until US President Donald Trump on Apr 9 announced a 90-day pause on these reciprocal taxes.