Singapore’s S&P Global PMI edged up to 59.4 in August 2026 from 59.2 in the previous month. The reading marked the strongest growth since May 2022, driven mainly by accelerated growth in new orders, which counterbalanced a weaker upturn in output that slowed to a 12-month low. Both capacity and input requirements increased as a result of greater volumes of incoming new work. Hiring activity picked up at a sharp rate, the strongest recorded since February. Still, firms were unable to keep pace with mounting workloads, as signalled by a steep rise in backlogged orders. Purchasing activity also increased. The lengthening of lead times was less severe than in July, despite ongoing supply-chain disruptions. On the cost front, both purchase prices and employment costs increased at elevated rates again in August. Lastly, business confidence rose to its highest level in four months amid upbeat projections for demand.