Retrenchments in Singapore rose to 4,620 in the second quarter of 2026, up from 3,830 in the previous quarter, and the highest level since Q4 2020, according to finalised data from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The rise was driven by business reorganisation and restructuring in sectors such as manufacturing, information & communications and financial services, the authority said in its Labour Market Report released Monday (Sept 21).
Between the first and second quarters of the year, retrenchment incidence rose the most among resident PMETs.
Workers in their 50s recorded the highest incidence of retrenchment, with those in their 40s logging the second highest incidence.
MOM said the proportion of retrenched residents who were r-eemployed within six months dipped from 60.7 per cent in the first quarter to 54.9 per cent in the second.
However, the twelve-month re-entry rate remained at 69.8 per cent from 69.4 per cent in the previous quarter, meaning workers who had been laid off were taking longer to secure new roles.
Total employment rose: MOM
Singapore’s labour market continued to expand overall.
Total employment rose by 11,400 from April to June, marking the 19th consecutive quarter of growth.
Resident employment growth, however, had slowed to 2,200 from the previous quarter’s 5,400.
Resident employment grew mainly in sectors such as Transportation & Storage, Public Administration & Education and Health & Social Services, Professional Services, Financial Services and Information & Communications.
MOM said its business expectations polls in July indicate a positive but cautious labour market outlook.
More firms looking to hire: MOM
More firms expressed intention to hire in the next three months, but slightly lesser firms intending to raise wages.
The ministry said labour conditions became less favourable for some resident workers in the second quarter of the year.
“The Government will continue to support employers and workers by investing in workforce transformation and human capital development through a suite of programmes,” it added.
These include the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant (Job Redesign+), SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, GRaduate Industry Traineeships and the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. ASIAONE
