Unemployment up to 2.1% in second quarter

SINGAPORE'S unemployment crept up to 2.1 per cent in the second quarter of this year, from a three-year low of 1.9 per cent in the previous quarter.

The Manpower Ministry, in releasing preliminary estimates, said the rise came as a result of slower job creation.

The 22,800 jobs created between April and June represented a 19 per cent fall from the previous quarter and is a second consecutive quarter-on-quarter decline in employment growth.

The services sector alone accounted for the drop, with new jobs in that sector falling from 26,500 to 18,800. Job creation picked up speed in the other two sectors - manufacturing and construction.

The Ministry estimates that 81,300 Singapore residents were unemployed as of June this year, up from 54,300 in March.

The figure reflects "the increase in job seekers as tertiary graduates entered the labour market and students sought employment during the mid-year school vacation", it said.

- The Straits Times