SINGAPORE - Border restrictions and manpower demand in growth sectors pushed job vacancies in Singapore to an all-time high of 98,700 in September, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Wednesday (Dec 15).
This was a sharp rise from the 92,100 job vacancies (seasonally adjusted) reported for June this year.
There were 209 job openings for every 100 unemployed individuals in September, up from 163 in June. The ratio of job vacancies to unemployed people rose to above two for the first time in over two decades. These are seasonally adjusted figures.
This marked the fifth consecutive quarter that vacancies had risen, although the pace of increase had slowed.
The rising vacancies were due to border restrictions that restricted the inflow of foreign labour, which led to total unemployment (excluding migrant domestic workers) declining by 173,100 since December 2019, notwithstanding the strong employment growth.
In particular, this was observed in sectors that had seen a substantial drop in work permit holders, namely manufacturing, construction, food and beverage services, and administrative and support services. These sectors accounted for 38 per cent of all job vacancies.
"The number of job vacancies and the ratio of job vacancies to unemployed persons is expected to remain high until border restrictions are lifted," said the MOM in its third-quarter labour market report.
There was also sustained demand in growth sectors such as professional services, financial services, information and communications, and health and social services, where resident employment has also increased in tandem, the ministry added.
The occupations in demand included software, Web and multimedia developers, systems analysts, commercial and marketing sales executives, accountants and nurses.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...ore-hit-record-high-of-98700-in-september-mom
