Total Employment Grows in the First Quarter of 2016
Total employment in Singapore grew by 13,000 in the first quarter of 2016, a reversal from the decline of 6,100 in the same period last year according to the latest Labour Market Report for Q1 by the Ministry of Manpower Singapore. Total employment was lower than the seasonal high growth of 16,100 in the fourth quarter of 2015. The report also showed that the seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate was at 1.9% in March 2016. Unemployment declined among residents (2.9% to 2.7%) and citizens (3.0% to 2.6%), in comparison to the previous quarter. However, long-term unemployment rate increased from 0.5% to 0.7%. Even though job openings continued to outnumber job seekers, the seasonally adjusted ratio has declined to 103 openings per 100 job seekers in March 2016, its lowest since June 2012 (98 openings per 100 job seekers).