Singapore’s resident employment rate for residents aged 15 and over declined to 66.2% in 2023 from 2022’s historical high of 67.5% amid an exceptionally tight labour market, according to the latest labour market release by the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore.  

In 2023, the unemployment rates and long-term unemployment rates for both PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) and non-PMETs improved.  

Non-PMETs saw a larger decline in unemployment rate, falling from 4.4% in 2022 to 3.6% in 2023, compared to that for PMETs, which saw their rate improve from 2.6% in 2022 to 2.4% in 2023).  

Similarly, for long-term unemployment rates, it fell more for non-PMETs (from 0.7% to 0.5%) compared to PMETs (from 0.5% to 0.4%). 

Meanwhile, the proportion of employees in permanent jobs rose to a high of 90.5%, comparable to a percentage last seen in 2016 (90.6%). 

Looking ahead, the ministry said economic headwinds will continue to weigh on the labour market.