Employment in Singapore rises in 2Q2022

This was attributed to the hiring of foreign workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors, as well as more residents finding employment.
By: | August 1, 2022
Topics: News | Recruitment | Singapore

Total employment in Singapore rose over 2Q2022, largely due to an increase in foreign labour as the city-state relaxed border restrictions from April, according to Ministry of Manpower (MOM) estimates. 

Excluding migrant domestic workers, total employment rose by 64,400 or 1.9%, which was attributed largely to the hiring of foreign workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors. 

“With the significant relaxation of border controls since April this year, employers in such sectors have been hiring to backfill positions and meet rising demand,” said MOM.

More residents have also found employment, while non-resident employment rebounded strongly from April to June. MOM expects non-resident employment to continue growing at a “robust pace”. Currently, it remains below 2019 levels by about 10%. 

“Resident employment, which is expected to be about 4 per cent above 2019 levels, will likely see subdued growth given the low resident unemployment rate,” MOM added.

READ: Singapore firms and workers urged to adopt growth mindset

Meanwhile, unemployment rates remained at pre-COVID-19 levels, while the number of retrenchments have also remained low, numbering 1,000 in 2Q2022. The most cited reason for layoffs were business reorganisation or restructuring.