Layoffs in S'pore up in third quarter as job vacancies continue to drop

But rate and number of retrenchments remain low, says Ministry of Manpower

- Sharon Salim Business Correspondent

The strains in Singapore's job market showed in data released on Dec 11, with retrenchments climbing in the third quarter of 2025 after dipping in the previous two quarters, while job vacancies continued to drop.

The number of retrenchments stood at 3,670, up from 3,540 in the previous quarter, according to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) third-quarter labour report.

The percentage of firms planning redundancies also rose, from 1.9 per cent in June to 2.3 per cent in September, the report showed.

MOM said the rate of retrenchment - 1.6 per 1,000 employees - and the number of retrenchments (3,670) "remained low".

More employees were also placed on a short workweek or temporary layoff - 800 in the third quarter, from 620 in the second quarter - as employers tried to avoid retrenchments.

The increase in those on a short workweek was primarily seen in the manufacturing sector, with non-PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) making up about 66.7 per cent of it.

As bosses are more likely to shorten their hours during times of business slack, this often affects non-PMETs, as they are more likely to be hourly-rated employees, MOM said.

The retrenchments, meanwhile, were concentrated in growth sectors such as financial services, professional services, and information and communications.

Residents citizens and permanent residents accounted for 74.2 per cent, or 2,720, of those retrenched in the July to September quarter.

There were 69,200 job openings in September, down from 76,900 in June, according to MOM. This was higher than the 63,400 job vacancies in September 2024.