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Singapore - More jobs were available in the Singapore's services sector in the past few months, contributing to a growth in employment figures.
Preliminary estimates show that employment grew by 68,400 in the first quarter of 2008 as the economy picked up pace. This growth in jobs is higher than the increase of 62,500 in the previous quarter and 49,400 in the first quarter of 2007.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the services industry added 42,900 workers, while construction increased its workforce by 13,400 driven by the growth in building activities.
As for the manufacturing sector, it was the main source of retrenchments, with the largest numbers coming from the electronics industry.
Out of the 2,000 workers retrenched in the first quarter of the year, 1,500 had been working in the manufacturing sector. The rest came from the services sector.
The MOM estimates, however, showed that the number retrenched in Q1 2008 was similar to the previous quarter and to Q1 2007.
Overall, unemployment rose to 2.0% in March 2008, from a seasonally adjusted 1.7% in December 2007, but this remains lower than a year ago. - CNA/sf
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