86,600 SG residents jobless in June amidst heightened alert and Delta jitters

Total employment fell in the second quarter by 15,700.

Approximately 86,600 Singaporean residents were jobless as of the end of the second quarter, lower than the 95,000 registered in March 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The unemployment rate declined to 2.7% by a scant 0.1% compared to the previous quarter.

Citizen unemployment is at 3.8% in June, continuing its decline since hitting a 4.9% peak in September 2020.

Total employment for the second quarter fell by 15,700. This was after it had registered a first increase in employment in the first quarter following a full year of decline in 2020.

The MOM attributed this to slower resident employment growth in response to tighter safety management measures, and the steep decline in non-resident employment.

Retrenchment went up to 2,500 in the second quarter from the first quarter’s 2,270, mainly due to layoffs in the manufacturing and construction sectors.

“The rise in Delta variant COVID-19 cases globally, as well as the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures from 16 May to 13 June, may have dampened the hiring intent of companies. Although two-thirds of the companies polled in June 2021 (64%) indicated they had plans to hire, this was down from the 73% in March 2021,” the MOM said.