Nearly 8 in 10 Singaporeans are employed in 2012

They are aged 25 to 64.

The resident employment rate reached a new high, reflecting the strong employment creation and the rise in labour force participation among women and older residents. However, income growth has moderated, amid the weaker economic conditions.

These are the key findings from the “Singapore Workforce, 2012” report by the Ministry of Manpower’s Research and Statistics Department, based on the 2012 Comprehensive Labour Force Survey conducted in the middle of this year.

Singapore’s resident labour force grew faster in 2012, reflecting the increase in the resident labour force participation rate to a new high of 66.6% in 2012 from 66.1% in 2011.

The resident labour force rose by 1.9% over the year to 2.12 million in June 2012, up from the growth of 1.6% in 2011.

Nevertheless, this is substantially below the average increase of 2.6% p.a. from 2002 to 2012, reflecting the slower growth in resident population in recent years.

With the rise in labour force participation rate and continued strong employment creation, the employment rate rose to another new high. 78.8% of the  resident population aged 25 to 64 were employed in 2012, up from 78% in 2011.