Resident Employment Rebounds as Singapore's Labour Market Expands

After experiencing a decline in the previous quarter, resident employment in Singapore has seen a notable increase as the country's labour market continued to expand in the third quarter of 2024, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) released on Monday (Dec 9).

This growth in resident employment comes amid an overall expansion in the labour market, driven largely by non-residents. The total employment grew by 22,300 in the third quarter, nearly double the figure recorded in the preceding quarter, as per MOM data.

Resident employment grew by 4,000, a significant improvement from the 600 decrease recorded in Q2. Meanwhile, non-resident employment increased by 18,200.

Sector-wise Employment Growth

MOM noted that resident employment continued to grow in outward-oriented sectors such as information and communications, professional services, and financial services. This growth was partly due to employment shifts from domestic-oriented sectors like retail trade and food and beverage services.

On the other hand, non-resident employment was primarily driven by the growth of work permit holders in construction and manufacturing sectors. MOM highlighted that there are generally not enough resident workers in these sectors, which mostly comprise blue-collar jobs like construction labourers.