Quarterly Employment Data

Source: Ministry of Manpower Statistics

• The employment level has been growing since the 3rd quarter of 2003.
• Since 2006, the level of employment increased by at least 40, 000 persons every quarter.
• The highest jump in the level of employment since 1997 occurred in early 2008, when the number soared by 73, 200, or 2.68% from the previous quarter.
• The last recorded dip in the level of employment in the 2nd quarter of 2003 saw the employment level shrinking by 26, 000 persons (1.21% of the preceding level). It is also the largest recorded contraction in a single quarter since 1997.

Source: Ministry of Manpower Statistics

• Data for residents is applicable to Singapore citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents.
• Highest resident unemployment rate recorded since 1997 is 6.2%, in the third quarter of 2003. Resident unemployment rate remained above 4% since then until the last quarter of 2005 when it fell down to 3.5%.
• The biggest surge in the number of resident unemployed persons occurred in the third quarter of 1998 when the figures jumped from 40, 100 to 71, 000, an increment of 77 %.
• Biggest recorded drop in the number of resident unemployed persons since 1997 was in the third quarter of 2000. The number of resident unemployed persons dropped by 40% from 74,500 persons to 44, 700 persons. Unemployment rate in that quarter dropped to 2.7% from 4.7% in the previous quarter.

Source: Ministry of Manpower Statistics

• Year 2007 is the year in which the least number of workers were retrenched. At 7,675 persons, it is also the only year other than 1997 to have retrenchment numbers of below 10,000.
• A total of 9,748 retrenchments were made in 1997. However, this figure does not include data from the public sector.
• The final quarter of 2001 saw the largest number of workers being retrenched in a single quarter. 8,591 persons were retrenched, and once again, this does not include data from the public sector.