NEWSPAPER job advertisements are bouncing back from the lows seen during the worst days of the recession.

According to stockbroking firm UOB Kay Hian, job and classified ads in the The Straits Times have climbed out of recession and are showing growth for the first time in over a year. The turnaround is seen as a further indication that the Singapore economy has turned the corner.

Job ads were up 6 per cent last month with 321 pages compared with 303 in October last year, the company said in its report released on Monday.

This marked a sea change from the situation that prevailed in previous months. Ads almost halved in March and April this year from a year ago and have been running at 20 to 30 per cent below last year's levels.

It was the same story for classified advertisements, which reached 805 pages last month, and were six pages ahead of last October's levels. While the rise represents just a 1 per cent upswing, it is considered significant, given the last four months have seen classifieds down 10 per cent on a year ago.

Total advertising revenue has climbed back to last year's levels, said UOB Kay Hian analyst Nancy Wei. Some 3,830 advertising pages were taken out last month, about equal to the same month last year.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.