Why product managers are in high demand in SEA

It’s a good time to be a product manager in Southeast Asia.

The Southeast Asia Startup Talent Report 2023 was released today by Glints and Monk’s Hill Ventures. The report was drawn from “10,000 data points for tech startup roles in Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam,” as well as from interviews with founders across the three countries.

While the report found that salary growth across various tech roles has slowed down to 5% to 7% per annum compared to 30% in previous years, product roles have seen the opposite.

“Product managers saw the highest increment among all tech roles, with a median increase of 27% compared to the last report,” the study reads.

With product roles still relatively new to many startups in Southeast Asia, it’s perhaps not surprising that those who are qualified can demand a premium. Some startup execs also shared that they tend to train project managers to become product managers instead of seeking outside hires to keep costs down.

As the chart above shows, product managers in Singapore are paid significantly more than their equivalents in Vietnam and Indonesia.

To build great products, you have to keep “leveling up.”

Every year, Tech in Asia organizes the Product Development Conference to help product managers upskill and capitalize effectively on the latest industry trends. On May 16 and 17 in Jakarta, we’re bringing together some of the best speakers the region has to offer, including CPOs from Figma, Grab, Dana, and ShopBack.

Some topics that the event will cover include:

• Best practices for user-centered design
• Building an MVP that works
• Growing in a competitive market
• Choosing the right growth strategy: product-led vs. sales-led
• The uphill battle to make a magical product

Great product managers are made, not born, so get your tickets here to equip yourself with all the tools and knowledge you’ll need. We’re also giving an additional 20% discount if you use the coupon PM20.