Chart of the Day: Q2 manufacturing employment falls for fifteenth straight quarter

Blame crippling conditions in the marine & offshore engineering segment.

Employment in the manufacturing sector contracted by 100 in Q2 to represent a protracted fifteenth straight decline in Q2, according to an economic report fromthe Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Also read: Manufacturing and services slowdown could hurt Singapore economy 

The protracted decline in manpower, caused by challenging market conditions in the marine & offshore engineering segment, comes even as manufacturing led the industries in contribution to real GDP growth in Q2 at 1.9%.

Also read: Manufacturing PMI down to 52.3 pionts in July 

Employment declines in the manufacturing and construction sector also offset the employment gains in the service producing industries (+2.9%).

Excluding foreign domestic workers (FDWs), employment rose by 7,100 in the second quarter.

By broad sectors, employment in services producing industries rose by 7,700 (including FDWs) on a quarter-on-quarter basis in the second quarter, with the business services (2,900), transportation & storage (2,800) and information & communications (2,700) sectors contributing the most to the increase.