SINGAPORE: Singapore's labour market will continue to be
soft for the next two quarters as the economic outlook remains
uncertain.
Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong also said anecdotal feedback from
unions and employers suggests retrenchment may be lower in the
second quarter because most of it had been done after the Lunar New
Year.
Nonetheless, the unemployment rate may remain high or increase in
the second quarter, he said.
Job data for the second quarter will be released at the end of this
month.
As for employment figures going ahead, Mr Gan said they depend on
companies receiving orders beyond July and August.
So far, the situation remains unclear. Hence, it is difficult to
predict if a second wave of retrenchment will come.
Mr Gan made these comments at a news conference regarding the
Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) on Friday
morning.
So far, 1,800 companies have signed up for SPUR, sending 83,500
workers for training. Also, 40,600 individuals have signed up for
SPUR.
Of this number, 19,000 found jobs through SPUR.
There are still 27,000 job seekers in Singapore.
The government had budgeted S$650 million for the SPUR programme
and so far S$210 million has been committed.
- CNA/ir