SINGAPORE - More people in Singapore found jobs last year amid a tight labour market.
Overall employment growth in the fourth quarter last year was 39,600, up from 33,400 in the previous quarter, according to preliminary figures released by the Manpower Ministry on Friday.
Total employment growth for the whole of last year is estimated to have increased by 129,000, slightly lower than the 136,200 in 2013 and similar to 129,100 in 2012.
The report noted that 3,800 workers were laid off in the fourth quarter of 2014, up slightly from 3,500 in the previous quarter. This is due to business restructuring.
Quarterly figures show that unemployment rates in December remained low at 1.9 per cent. Overall unemployment rate for last year was 2 per cent as with 2013.
The Manpower figures also showed that median monthly incomes for Singapore have increased since 2009 but growth moderated last year.
The real median monthly income from Singaporeans working full-time increased 30 per cent from $2,748 in 2009 to $3,566 last year. After adjusting for inflation, real median income grew by 2.1 per cent every year in the last five years.
