MOM: Unemployment rates for PMET in Singapore show improvement

According to the latest Labour Force in Singapore advance release 2017, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Singapore has reported that the unemployment and long-term unemployment rates for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) showed signs of improvement after trending up in recent years. For non-PMETs, the unemployment rate rose, while their long-term unemployment rate remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, the employment rate for residents aged 25 to 64 continued to increase to 80.7% in June 2017. Likewise, the employment rate for residents aged 65 and over increased to 25.8%, but it declined to 34.1% for residents aged 15 to 24.

Other key findings included:

• The labour force participation rate (LFPR) for residents aged 15 and over declined slightly from 68.0% in June 2016 to 67.7% in June 2017, following sustained increases over the decade.
• Median income rose faster year-on-year in June 2017.
• The seasonally adjusted resident unemployment rate rose from 3.0% in June 2016 to 3.1% in June 2017

Labour force trends in Singapore

The report showed that the share of PMETs among employed residents has trended up over the decade from 49% in 2007 to 56% in 2017. Additionally, this was at a faster pace of increase since 2015. Over the decade, there was a decline in the share of clerical, sales and service workers (25% to 23%) and production and transport operators, cleaners and labourers (26% to 21%) among employed residents.

On the other hand, the unemployment rate for non-PMETs rose in 2017 after posting a general improvement from 2009, as they found it harder to secure a job with the continued decline in nonPMET job vacancies. 14 Nevertheless, the long-term unemployment rate for non-PMETs remained unchanged at 0.7% in 2017.

Among non-PMETs, the unemployment rate was higher for clerical, sales and service workers (5.7%) than production and transport operators, cleaners and labourers (3.6%), reflecting their faster staff turnover.

Lead Photo / Ministry of Manpower

Tables / Ministry of Manpower