Total employment in Singapore rose by 11,400 during the second quarter of 2026, while employers retrenched 4,620 workers, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s report. The figures track different movements: employment growth is the net change in the number employed, while retrenchments count people displaced during the quarter. The total can rise while some workers lose jobs, so the headline increase does not describe what happened to those who were retrenched.

MOM’s July advance release had put the quarter’s employment increase at 10,700. The September report’s more complete estimate was 11,400, alongside resident and non-resident breakdowns and re-entry measures. It also showed total employment growth picking up from 9,400 in the first quarter and exceeding the 10,400 increase in the second quarter of 2025.

Released September 21, the report found that non-resident employment drove most of the increase. Non-residents accounted for 9,200, while resident employment grew by 2,200. MOM linked the non-resident increase mainly to Work Permit Holders in construction and manufacturing. Resident employment still expanded, although its gain slowed from 5,400 in the first quarter.

Growth and retrenchment are different measures

The 11,400 figure is the net increase in total employment during the quarter, not a count of retrenched workers who found new jobs. Firms can hire while others cut positions, and the report does not say that every retrenched worker was replaced by a new hire. These quarterly figures do not describe every resident or industry's experience. The resident/non-resident split matters too: growth can be led by non-resident roles while resident employment grows more slowly, even though both groups remain inside the same total.

Retrenchments rose from 3,830 in the first quarter to 4,620 in the second. The rate also increased, from 1.6 to 2.0 retrenched workers per 1,000 employees. MOM said the increase was concentrated in outward-oriented sectors, including manufacturing, information and communications, and financial services. It attributed most retrenchments to business reorganisation or restructuring. The per-1,000 rate gives scale relative to employment, while the absolute count shows how many workers the ministry recorded as retrenched.

Two separate offices show one manager preparing a chair for a new colleague and another worker packing personal items.
Concept illustration: hiring and retrenchments can occur at different firms during the same quarter.

Residents were finding work more slowly

MOM measures the share of retrenched residents who re-entered employment within six months. That rate fell to 54.9% in the second quarter, from 60.7% in the first quarter. The twelve-month re-entry rate for earlier retrenchment cohorts was broadly steady, moving from 69.4% to 69.8%.

The six-month measure points to weaker early re-entry among residents in the measured cohorts, while the twelve-month rate was stable. The two rates cover different time horizons and retrenchment cohorts, so the 69.8% figure does not update the same workers measured at six months. Neither measure says how long a particular person will take to find work or what pay they will receive. The six-month rate applies to retrenched residents, not every worker or jobseeker in Singapore.

Low unemployment does not settle the question

Unemployment rates remained low and stable in June: 1.9% overall, 2.9% for residents and 3.0% for citizens. The resident long-term unemployment rate rose slightly, from 0.9% in March to 1.0% in June. Unemployment rates measure the share of the labour force without work and looking for a job. Someone who has stopped searching is not counted as unemployed under that measure, which is why the rate does not count everyone recently retrenched or show how quickly a person finds a replacement role.

Vacancies still outnumbered unemployed people, with 1.48 vacancies for each unemployed person in June. MOM reported that vacancies declined, particularly for professional, manager, executive and technician roles in financial services and information and communications. A ratio above one indicates aggregate demand; it does not show whether available roles match a displaced worker’s skills, location, seniority or salary needs, or whether each unemployed person has a realistic choice among suitable openings.

The vacancy ratio is a snapshot of openings in June, while the six-month re-entry rate measures outcomes for retrenched residents over time. The first can remain above one even as it becomes harder for a particular group to find a suitable next job.

This distinction appeared in public discussion of the report. In a September r/singapore thread, users asked how unemployment could remain low while retrenchments rose and vacancies fell. The thread is one online sample; its question reflects the difference between an aggregate rate and the experience of people moving between jobs.

Hiring plans were mixed

MOM’s July business survey found that 48.7% of firms intended to hire during the next three months, up from 43.9% in June. The share intending to raise wages moved the other way, easing from 29.3% to 27.9%. Both measures remained below their February levels, according to the ministry.

Those are stated intentions, not completed hiring or wage changes. MOM does not report a salary or occupation match for the vacancies in this summary.