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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s population has shrunk for the first time since 2003 as travel curbs and job losses brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have pushed foreign workers from the global business hub.
The overall population dropped by about 18,000 people, or 0.3 per cent, to 5.69 million, according to an annual population report.
A sharp drop in foreigners, down 2 per cent to 1.64 million, as well as a marginal fall in permanent residents, outweighed a modest rise in citizens, some of whom returned from overseas as the pandemic spread globally.
“These trends were largely due to Covid-19 related challenges, brought about by weak demand and travel restrictions,” the report said, citing job losses in services, a sector heavily reliant on low-paid foreign labour.
As the economy faces the deepest recession in its history – an economic decline officially estimated between 5 per cent – 7 per cent for the year – the government has been raising barriers for foreign hiring to preserve jobs for locals.
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