Labour Market Report Third Quarter 2015

1. The seasonally adjusted overall unemployment rate in September 2015 remained low at 2.0%. Unemployment rose to 3.0% for residents and 3.1% for citizens amid softer economic conditions.
2. Total employment grew by 12,600 in the third quarter of 2015, down from an increase of 33,400 in the third quarter of 2014. Cumulatively for the first three quarters of this year, total employment grew by 16,200, which is the lowest growth since 2009.
3. The number of workers laid off in the third quarter of 2015 (3,460) was higher than in the preceding quarter (3,250), but similar to the third quarter of 2014 (3,500). The rate of re-entry into employment within six months of redundancy remained stable in the third quarter of 2015.
4. Even though job openings continued to outnumber job seekers, the ratio has moderated. The seasonally adjusted vacancies declined over the quarter by 11% to 55,600 in September 2015. The seasonally adjusted ratio of job vacancies to unemployed persons declined to 116 openings per 100 job seekers in September 2015 from 121 in June 2015, comparable to June 2013.

For More Information

1. These are the key findings from the “Labour Market, Third Quarter 2015” report by the Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower. The report is available at http://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/Home.aspx.