Labour market recovery shows signs of slowing down in Q2

Emerging signs of a slowdown in the recovery of the labour market appeared in the Ministry of Manpower's preliminary estimates released yesterday.

Unemployment figures edged up in the second quarter of the year, even as total employment grew - a result of more people being lured back into the labour force on the back of a 3.6 per cent growth in Singapore's economy last year.

Overall, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went up to 2.1 per cent, from 2 per cent in the quarter from January to March.

Total employment, excluding foreign domestic workers, went up by 7,100, a sharp rise from the growth of 400 in the first quarter. But retrenchments also inched up.