SINGAPORE`S EMPLOYMENT RATE EASES IN Q3 2010

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Dec 15 (Bernama) - Singapore's employment rate slowed down in the
third-quarter after a strong increase earlier in the year, the Manpower Ministry
said.

Employment rose by 20,500 in the third-quarter of 2010, after growing by
24,900 in the preceding quarter and 36,500 in the first quarter, the ministry
said in a statement today.

This brought total gains in the first nine-months to 82,000, in contrast to
an almost flat growth of 100 over the same period last year when the economy was
in recession, it added.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell slightly to 2.1 per cent, the
ministry said, adding this was a significant improvement from a year ago, when
unemployment peaked at 3.3 per cent during the economic downturn.

There were 54,200 unemployed residents up to September this year.

The number of residents who had been looking for work for at least 25 weeks
fell to 11,200 in September this year from 18,300 in September 2009.

The ministry also said with the decline in unemployment, the ratio of job
vacancies to unemployed persons edged up to a seasonally adjusted 1.06 in
September 2010 from 1.04 in June 2010.
-- BERNAMA