Chart of the Day: Check out how many employees were laid off in Q3

The number was lower than the past quarter's 4,800.

According to the latest Labour Market Report by the Ministry of Manpower, 4,220 workers were made redundant in the third quarter of 2016, lower than the past quarter (4,800) but higher than a year ago (3,460). Cumulatively for the first nine months of 2016, 13,730 workers were laid off, higher than in 2015 (10,220) and the highest since the same period in 2009 (21,210).

"Redundancies fell over the quarter in manufacturing and services but edged up in construction. The bulk of redundancies were from services (59%), mainly in professional services (16%), financial services (15%) and wholesale trade (10%). Across the broad sectors, layoffs was higher in the first nine months of 2016 compared to the same period last year," the manpower ministry said.

The report also noted that professionals, managers, executives & technicians (PMETs) were more likely to be made redundant. They formed the majority (73%) of residents made redundant in the third quarter of 2016, higher than their workforce representation. Those with tertiary qualifications also formed the bulk of resident layoffs in the third quarter of 2016.