Singapore's unemployment rate falls to 1.8%

Singapore's unemployment rate fell to 1.8 percent in September, compared with that of 2.1 percent in June, showing that the city-state's job market stayed tight, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Manpower on Thursday. Similarly, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased over the quarter from 2.9 percent to 2.6 percent for residents and 3.1 percent to 2.8 percent for Singapore citizens. Employment growth also remained high, with 28,100 more workers in jobs in the third quarter. The growth was lower than the gains of 33,700 in the quarter before, but higher than the gains of 26, 200 in the same period last year. The ministry said the employment growth was "driven mainly by services and construction, which added more workers than in the same period last year." The city-state's total employment was 3,448,300 in September, which was 4.1 percent higher on year. On the other hand, layoffs also fell, reversing an increase in the previous quarter. Some 2,600 workers were laid off in the third quarter, down from 3,080 in the second quarter.