Manpower Minister Tan See Leng speaks to reporters at a press briefing ahead of the launch of the quarterly labour market report, Sep 16, 2024. SINGAPORE: Singapore's labour market continued to expand in the second quarter of 2024, with the growth attributed solely to non-residents, according to latest data released on Tuesday .
These were mainly in lower-skilled roles typically filled by non-residents as"residents are not keen to work in these jobs", MOM said in a press release. Singapore's resident labour force participation rate – which looks at citizens and permanent residents aged 15 and older – is 68.6 per cent. MOM provided more data on foreign-owned firms and employment that is usually not included in the quarterly labour market report.
At the same time, the government would also continue to invest heavily in Singaporeans, who remain"at the core" of manpower policy, said Dr Tan. MOM said the overall number of S Pass and EP holders fell in the first half of 2024 as firms made post-pandemic workforce adjustments and adapted to policy changes to improve the quality of the foreign workforce.