Singapore's unemployment rate falls further as job
openings start to outnumber job
seekers.
SINGAPORE, Dec 14
(Reuters) - Singapore's Ministry of
Manpower released
detailed unemployment data for the third
quarter of 2012 on
Friday:
(percent,
seasonally adjusted)
Q3/12 Q2/12 Q1/12
Q4/11 Q3/11 Q2/11
1.9 2.0 2.1 2.0
2.0 2.1
CONTEXT:
- The final third
quarter jobless rate was unchanged from
the preliminary
estimate of 1.9 percent.
- The seasonally
adjusted unemployment rate for Singapore
citizens was 3.0
percent in the third quarter, unchanged from
April to June,
while the jobless rate for residents held steady
at 2.8 percent.
Singaporeans and individuals with permanent
residency status
make up about two-thirds of the total
workforce,
excluding maids.
- The manpower
ministry said the low unemployment rate
reflected high
manpower demand amid the tightening in foreign
manpower
controls.
- Total employment
in Singapore rose by 26,200 between July
and September,
below the 31,900 gain in the second quarter.
- The seasonally
adjusted vacancies rose by 13 percent over
the quarter to
51,500 in September 2012, after declining in the
two preceding
quarters. There are now 125 job openings per 100
job seekers, up
from 91 in June.
- Singapore has
been making it harder for firms to hire
low-cost foreign
workers in a bid to address complaints by
citizens concerned
about crowded trains and increased
competition for
jobs that have resulted in stagnant wages.
(Reporting by
Kevin Lim; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
