SINGAPORE: The unemployment rate in Singapore continued to decline in November 2021, statistics from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Thursday (Dec 6) showed.
The data showed that the resident unemployment rate fell to 3.2% in November 2021 from 3.4% the previous month.
The citizen unemployment rate was 3.5%, down slightly from the previous 3.6%. The overall unemployment rate fell from 2.6% to 2.5%.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said in a Facebook post that the continued decline showed that Singapore’s labor market is “recovering steadily, with the economy rebounding from the recession of 2020, with GDP growing by 7.2% last year”.
Dr Tan said industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as food service and air transport, were able to increase capacity again as more people dining out and more vaccinated travel routes opened.
“We expect the domestic sector to see a pickup in hiring demand as community measures are gradually eased,” he added.
However, he cautioned that “the road to recovery remains bumpy and uncertain”.
“Singapore is likely to see a new wave of cases in the coming weeks as the Omicron variant spreads around the world,” he wrote in the post. “As the COVID-19 situation changes, businesses and workers will need to adapt. Sex and flexibility.”
He added that the ministry and Workforce Singapore will support employers and employees.
Dr Tan also encouraged employers with hiring needs to “consider more candidates” and invest in upskilling new hires.
“The SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package provides generous support to employers. I also encourage job seekers to remain open to new opportunities.
“Job-seekers in need of support can seek career matching services from WSG and NTUC’s Institute of Employment and Employability.”
The SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package was launched in May 2020 to help workers in Singapore affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It received an additional S$5.4 billion in Budget 2021 to support hiring 200,000 locals and providing up to 35,000 internship and training opportunities.
As of the end of September 2021, more than 146,000 people have been offered jobs or internships and training opportunities under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package.
