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SINGAPORE: As the economy improves, Community Development Councils (CDCs) are seeing fewer Singaporeans seeking social assistance from them.
The North East CDC said it has seen a drop in the number of people asking for social assistance since July.
In September alone, the figure dropped 22 percent from August.
There were 354 cases in September, which was a far cry from the February peak of 609 applicants.
On an annual basis, however, the number of social assistance applications rose by 53% in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year.
Welfare committees in the 17 divisions of the CDC saw a similar peak earlier in the year but after April, they reported a downward trend in the number of residents asking for help.
However those asking for help to get jobs rose slightly in September compared to August.
470 applicants approached the CDC for help to find jobs in September, a 1.5 percent increase over August.
The CDC said this minimal increase signifies fewer retrenchments and a slow recovering economy.
Earlier in April, the number of job seekers registered with the CDC had peaked to 870, reflecting the increase in retrenchments during that period.
The South West CDC said the average number of applications for social assistance from April to September this year was much higher than the same period last year.
But comparing the second and third quarters of this year, the numbers have dropped.
The second quarter saw an average of 1,039 applications a month but the third quarter saw an average of 931 applications a month, a drop of 10 percent.
Similarly, the South East CDC saw the number of applications received in the third quarter drop some 25% over the second quarter.
In terms of employment assistance, the South West CDC received 3,686 job applications from April to September.
In absolute numbers, this was a 60% increase compared to the 2,304 applications received for the same period last year.
However, there was a downward trend over the past few months.
The second quarter saw an average of 713 job applications a month. The average dropped to 516 in the third quarter -- a 28% decrease.
As for the South East CDC, it said that in the last six months (May to October), the number of job seekers registered with it has dropped by about 14%.
Its general manager, Stanley Fong, said this could be due to a smaller number of workers being retrenched and more job vacancies.
In the third quarter, about one in two job seekers was placed in employment, an improvement of about 20% from the previous quarter.
- CNA/ir
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