SINGAPORE, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's labor market remained resilient in the second quarter, but conditions became less favorable for some resident workers as employment growth moderated, retrenchments increased and six-month re-entry rates weakened, the Ministry of Manpower said on Monday.
Total employment increased by 11,400 in the second quarter, marking the 19th consecutive quarter of growth, the ministry said in its labor market report.
Employment of Singapore citizens and permanent residents grew by 2,200, slowing from growth of 5,400 in the previous quarter, while non-resident employment increased by 9,200.
Growth in non-resident employment was driven by work permit holders in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
Retrenchments rose to 4,620 in the second quarter, from 3,830 in the first quarter. The retrenchment rate increased to 2 per 1,000 employees from 1.6 per 1,000 employees.
The increase was driven by business reorganization and restructuring in outward-oriented sectors such as manufacturing, information and communications, and financial services, the ministry said.
The proportion of retrenched residents who re-entered employment within six months fell to 54.9 percent in the second quarter from 60.7 percent in the first quarter. The 12-month re-entry rate remained broadly stable, indicating that "retrenched workers were taking longer to secure new employment," the ministry said.
The ministry's July business expectations surveys pointed to "a positive but cautious labor market outlook." ■