Singapore employment extends growth streak for 18th quarter

SINGAPORE, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's total employment rose by 9,400 in the first quarter, marking its 18th consecutive quarter of growth, official data showed Monday.

The expansion was supported by a 5,400-job gain during the quarter, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement. This increase outpaced the 3,100 growth recorded in the previous quarter, even as non-resident employment growth moderated.

According to the statement, resident employment gains were driven by administrative and support services, alongside transportation and storage. Meanwhile, construction and manufacturing supported non-resident employment growth.

The country's unemployment rates remained low and stable in March, with the overall rate at 2 percent, resident unemployment at 2.9 percent and citizen unemployment at 3.1 percent. The resident long-term unemployment rate also held steady at 0.9 percent.

Retrenchments remained low and unchanged in the first quarter at 1.6 per 1,000 employees, with 3,830 layoffs recorded, mostly driven by business restructuring. Enditem