Growth of foreign workforce crashed by almost 50% in 2012

That’s amidst the stiffer employment rules.

According to a report released by the Ministry of Manpower on Thursday, excluding foreign domestic workers and construction, the growth in foreign employment was even lower at 32,200 in 2012, around half of the 60,200 in 2011. Amid the tightening in foreign manpower controls, the growth in overall foreign employment eased to 70,400 in 2012 from 84,800 in 2011.

However, local employment rose by 59,200, substantially higher than the gains of 37,900 in 2011.

Here’s more:

Supported by hiring for the festive season, the fourth quarter of 2012 saw higher employment growth. Preliminary estimates showed that total employment grew by 44,500 in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from the gains of 26,200 in the preceding quarter and 37,600 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

For the whole of 2012, total employment increased by 129,600, slightly above the 122,600 in 2011. This mainly reflected the higher employment growth in construction (2012: 39,100; 2011: 22,000), boosted by public building projects. Excluding construction and foreign domestic workers, the increase in total employment at 87,200 in 2012 was lower than the 95,600 in 2011.

Services continued to generate the majority of the total employment gains in 2012 (77,900), though this slowed from 2011 (96,100). Manufacturing added 11,100 workers in 2012, as gains mainly in chemical products outnumbered losses in electronics manufacturing.

In December 2012, locals accounted for 66.4% of persons employed in Singapore (excluding foreign domestic workers). Foreigners formed the remaining 33.6%, compared with 32.8% in December 2011.