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Singapore job market: retrenchments, vacancies and unemployment
Retrenchments, unemployment, vacancies and hiring from MOM’s latest figures, with where your industry and age group stand and how it compares with past downturns.
Retrenchments, Q3 2026 (preliminary)
4,800
Up from 4,620 in Q2 2026, the highest since Q4 2020
2.0 per 1,000 employees. Source: MRSD, MOM.
Citizen unemployment, September 2026
3.1%
Residents 3.0%, everyone 2.0%
Seasonally adjusted, and can be revised.
Hiring rate, Q2 2026
1.4%
The lowest since Q2 2020
Share of staff newly hired, each month.
Back in work within 6 months
54.9%
The lowest since the series began in 2000
Retrenched residents, Q2 2026.
See how people like you fare See your industry
In short
4,800 people were retrenched in Q3 2026, on MOM’s early estimate. In Q2 2026 the hiring rate was 1.4% a month: only 1% of quarters since 2006 were lower. There were 1.48 vacancies for each unemployed person, and 78% of quarters had fewer. Vacancies count posts on offer, while the hiring rate counts people actually taken on, so read the two together. These are MOM’s figures, not advice.
The job market right now
Each number can look fine or poor on its own. This sets all of them against their record since 2006.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier | Worse quarters since 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrenchments, Q3 2026 | 4,800 | 3,670 | 10% |
| Citizen unemployment, Q3 2026 | 3.1% | 3.1% | 39% |
| Job vacancy rate, Q2 2026 | 2.9% | 3.0% | 63% |
| Vacancies per unemployed person, Q2 2026 | 1.48 | 1.38 | 78% |
| Hiring rate, Q2 2026 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1% |
| Back in work within 6 months, Q2 2026 | 54.9% | 56.3% | 0% |
| Back in work within 12 months, Q2 2026 | 69.8% | 71.2% | 4% |
The last column is our sum: the lower it is, the nearer this number is to its worst since 2006. Citizen unemployment uses the last month of each quarter. Retrenchments include MOM’s early estimate where the open data hasn’t caught up.
Your industry
National figures hide big gaps between industries. Pick yours to see what has changed in a year.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,660 ▼ | 3,100 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 8,700 ▲ | 7,700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.9% | 0.9% |
In 2025, 8.1 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 45.2 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 450 ▼ | 610 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 10,900 ▲ | 9,600 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.8% ▼ | 1.9% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.1% ▼ | 1.2% |
In 2025, 1.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 46.9 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,760 ▲ | 2,530 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 5,500 ▼ | 6,500 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.6% ▼ | 1.7% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.4% ▲ | 1.2% |
In 2025, 10.4 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.2 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 1,170 ▲ | 590 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 3,500 ▼ | 5,000 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.1% ▼ | 1.4% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.8% ▼ | 1.0% |
In 2025, 8.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 42.9 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 440 ▲ | 200 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 4,800 ▼ | 5,700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 2.2% ▼ | 2.7% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.7% ▼ | 2.2% |
In 2025, 1.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 40.3 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,310 ▲ | 1,960 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 4,400 ▼ | 6,000 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.8% ▼ | 1.9% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.3% ▼ | 1.4% |
In 2025, 17.1 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.3 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,640 ▲ | 1,980 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 5,100 ▼ | 6,300 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.1% ▼ | 1.5% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 0.9% |
In 2025, 13.3 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 40.9 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 120 ▲ | 60 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 1,900 ▲ | 1,600 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.4% ▼ | 2.7% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.0% ▼ | 1.3% |
In 2025, 1.7 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 43.4 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,080 ▲ | 1,920 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 6,300 ▲ | 5,800 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.6% ▼ | 1.8% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.9% ▼ | 1.3% |
In 2025, 10.8 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 42.5 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 570 ▲ | 370 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 2,700 ▼ | 5,900 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.4% ▼ | 2.8% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.1% ▼ | 1.9% |
In 2025, 3.1 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 42.4 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 60 ▼ | 270 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 9,000 ▼ | 9,400 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 0.8% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.5% ▼ | 0.6% |
In 2025, 0.8 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.2 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 260 ▲ | 80 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 4,400 ▼ | 5,200 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.0% ▼ | 1.6% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.6% ▼ | 1.1% |
In 2025, 1.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.4 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 60 ▲ | 20 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 600 ▼ | 900 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.2% ▼ | 1.5% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.9% ▼ | 1.0% |
In 2025, 1.9 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.1 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 1,750 ▲ | 1,450 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 4,000 ▼ | 5,200 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 2.2% ▲ | 2.1% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.6% ▲ | 1.5% |
In 2025, 16.6 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.2 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 560 ▲ | 510 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 300 ▼ | 800 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 1.2% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.6% ▼ | 1.1% |
In 2025, 18.9 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.8 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,480 ▲ | 1,810 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 4,500 ▼ | 5,500 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.1% ▼ | 1.5% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 0.9% |
In 2025, 14.3 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.1 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 170 ▼ | 180 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 600 ▼ | 700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.0% ▼ | 1.4% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 1.2% |
In 2025, 5.8 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 39.9 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 2,250 ▲ | 2,090 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 3,600 ▼ | 4,000 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.6% ▲ | 1.4% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.3% ▲ | 0.9% |
In 2025, 12.7 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 41.6 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 530 ▲ | 440 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 1,900 ▼ | 2,500 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.7% ▼ | 2.2% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.5% ▼ | 1.9% |
In 2025, 5.9 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 40.3 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 430 ▲ | 100 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 3,400 ▼ | 4,100 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 2.2% ▼ | 2.7% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.6% ▼ | 2.2% |
In 2025, 1.0 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 39.5 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 10 ▼ | 100 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 1,400 ▼ | 1,600 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 2.4% ▲ | 2.1% |
In 2025, 4.7 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 44.7 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 1,220 ▲ | 1,000 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 3,100 ▲ | 3,000 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.4% ▼ | 1.8% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.0% ▼ | 1.3% |
In 2025, 11.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 40.5 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 580 ▼ | 880 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 2,400 ▲ | 1,900 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.2% ▲ | 0.9% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 0.8% |
In 2025, 11.7 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 45.0 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 790 ▲ | 670 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 1,000 ▲ | 700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.2% ▲ | 0.7% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 1.4% ▲ | 0.7% |
In 2025, 17.4 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 43.0 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 530 ▲ | 20 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 200 ▼ | 1,700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 0.7% ▼ | 1.5% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.5% ▼ | 0.9% |
In 2025, 18.5 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 38.8 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 10 ▼ | 60 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 700 ▼ | 1,000 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 0.9% ▼ | 1.2% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.5% ▼ | 0.8% |
In 2025, 1.6 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 43.6 a week in Q2 2026.
| Measure | Latest | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Retrenched, last four quarters | 240 ▼ | 250 |
| Job vacancies, Q2 2026 | 500 ▼ | 700 |
| Hiring rate, a month | 1.0% ▼ | 1.1% |
| Resignation rate, a month | 0.6% ▼ | 0.9% |
In 2025, 9.0 of every 1,000 employees here were retrenched. Paid hours were 43.6 a week in Q2 2026.
Every industry, highest retrenchment rate first
| Industry | Retrenched per 1,000, 2025 | Vacancies | Hiring rate | Resignation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.1 | 4,400 | 1.8% | 1.3% | |
| 13.3 | 5,100 | 1.1% | 0.7% | |
| 10.8 | 6,300 | 1.6% | 0.9% | |
| 10.4 | 5,500 | 1.6% | 1.4% | |
| 8.5 | 3,500 | 1.1% | 0.8% | |
| 8.1 | 8,700 | 1.2% | 0.9% | |
| 3.1 | 2,700 | 1.4% | 1.1% | |
| 1.9 | 600 | 1.2% | 0.9% | |
| 1.7 | 1,900 | 1.4% | 1.0% | |
| 1.5 | 10,900 | 1.8% | 1.1% | |
| 1.5 | 4,800 | 2.2% | 1.7% | |
| 1.5 | 4,400 | 1.0% | 0.6% | |
| 0.8 | 9,000 | 0.7% | 0.5% |
Tap an industry to load it above. Vacancies, hiring and resignations are for Q2 2026, MOM’s newest by industry. Resignation and hiring rates are the share of staff, each month. A dash means nil, negligible or not published.
Vacancies and actual hiring
Hiring rate, a month Job vacancy rate
Tap or hover on the chart to read a value.
In Q2 2026 the vacancy rate was 2.9% and the hiring rate 1.4%. Across 2019 they averaged 2.4% and 2.3%. A vacancy is a post an employer says it wants to fill. The hiring rate counts people who actually started, so it shows whether those posts are turning into jobs.
Hires for each retrenchment
Our own sum, a year at a time: the monthly hiring rate over 12 months, against retrenchments per 1,000 employees.
| Year | Hiring rate, a month | Retrenched per 1,000 | Hires for each retrenchment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.8% | 6.3 | 34 |
| 2024 | 2.0% | 5.9 | 41 |
| 2023 | 2.3% | 6.7 | 41 |
| 2022 | 2.5% | 3.1 | 97 |
| 2021 | 2.0% | 4.4 | 55 |
| 2020 | 1.6% | 12.8 | 15 |
| 2019 | 2.2% | 5.1 | 52 |
| 2018 | 2.3% | 5.1 | 54 |
Most hires replace people who left or moved jobs, so this isn’t the number of new jobs. It shows how much hiring is going on around each retrenchment.
Vacancies for each unemployed person
In Q2 2026 there were 69,900 job vacancies, or 1.48 for each unemployed person. A figure above 1 means more posts than job seekers overall, though the posts and the people may not match. 78% of quarters since 2006 had fewer.
Retrenchments
Retrenched in the quarter
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Who gets retrenched
| Year | Retrenched | Professionals, managers, executives, technicians | Clerical, sales, service | Production, transport, labouring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14,510 | 82% | 8% | 10% |
| 2024 | 13,030 | 78% | 9% | 14% |
| 2023 | 14,610 | 75% | 9% | 16% |
| 2022 | 6,440 | 70% | 8% | 21% |
| 2021 | 8,030 | 73% | 15% | 12% |
| 2020 | 26,130 | 49% | 31% | 20% |
Shares of each year’s total are our sum from MOM’s counts, which it rounds. In Q2 2026, 85% were in the first group.
Residents and non-residents
| Year | Residents retrenched | Per 1,000 residents | Non-residents retrenched | Per 1,000 non-residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10,670 | 7.4 | 3,820 | 4.4 |
| 2024 | 9,380 | 6.7 | 3,640 | 4.4 |
| 2023 | 9,990 | 7.3 | 4,600 | 5.7 |
| 2022 | 4,580 | 3.4 | 1,860 | 2.6 |
| 2021 | 6,430 | 5.3 | 1,590 | 2.7 |
| 2020 | 14,380 | 11.1 | 11,730 | 15.7 |
Unemployment
Citizens Everyone, foreigners included
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In September 2026, seasonally adjusted, 3.1% of citizens, 3.0% of residents and 2.0% of everyone in the labour force were out of work and looking. The overall rate also counts foreign workers, whose work passes depend on having a job.
In 2025 an average of 20,800 residents had been unemployed for 25 weeks or more. The typical unemployed resident in June 2025 had been looking for 12 weeks, against 10 weeks a year earlier.
After retrenchment
Within 6 months Within 12 months
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In Q2 2026, 54.9% of retrenched residents were back in work within six months, the lowest since the series began in 2000, and 69.8% within twelve.
By age, mean of the last four quarters
| Group | In 6 months | In 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 | 74.8% | 83.5% |
| Aged 30 to 39 | 67.9% | 81.2% |
| Aged 40 to 49 | 60.9% | 74.5% |
| Aged 50 to 59 | 47.1% | 61.0% |
| Aged 60 and over | 38.3% | 50.5% |
Degree holders and everyone else
In 2025, 53.0% of retrenched degree holders were back in work within six months, against 63.3% of those with secondary education. These are means of the year’s four quarters.
Degree Secondary
Tap or hover on the chart to read a value.
If you’ve been retrenched
- Retrenchment benefit: the law doesn’t require one. What you get depends on your contract or collective agreement, or else on negotiation. TAFEP gives the norm as 2 weeks to a month’s salary per year of service, and says staff with under 2 years’ service aren’t eligible. Amounts can be lower if the employer is in financial difficulty.
- Notice: your employer must give due notice or pay in lieu.
- Reporting: employers with at least 10 staff must tell MOM within 5 working days of informing you.
- SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support: up to S$6,000 over six months if you lost your job involuntarily: up to S$1,500 in month 1, S$1,250 in month 2, S$1,000 in month 3, then S$750 a month, paid when you hit monthly points targets for job-search activities. No month pays more than your past average monthly income. To apply you must be a citizen or PR aged 21 or over, have averaged S$5,000 a month or less, have worked in Singapore for at least six of the past twelve months, live in a home with an Annual Value of S$31,000 or less, and have had no payout from the scheme in the past three years. Full rules and the application are on the scheme’s page.
To plan the months ahead, see what your pay leaves after CPF and tax and where to keep your cash.
Against past downturns
| Period | Most retrenched in a quarter | Fewest vacancies per unemployed | Lowest hiring rate | Highest resident unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian financial crisis | 8,830 | 0.35 | 2.0% | 4.7% |
| Dot-com crash and SARS | 8,890 | 0.21 | 1.9% | 6.2% |
| Global financial crisis | 12,760 | 0.36 | 1.9% | 4.9% |
| Covid-19 | 9,120 | 0.52 | 1.2% | 4.6% |
| The last four quarters | 4,620 | 1.46 | 1.4% | 2.9% |
The periods are our choice. Before 2006 the quarterly figures cover private firms with 25 or more staff only, so the early rows would run higher on today’s coverage. The last row uses MOM’s open data, to Q2 2026.
Do any of these numbers warn early?
We tested whether vacancies or hiring turn before retrenchments do, using every quarter since 2006. The table shows the correlation with retrenchments, where −1 is a perfect opposite move and 0 is no link.
| Measure | Same quarter | 1 quarter later | 2 quarters later | A year later |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job vacancy rate | −0.45 | −0.37 | −0.23 | −0.05 |
| Vacancies per unemployed person | −0.43 | −0.33 | −0.17 | 0.13 |
| Hiring rate | −0.50 | −0.27 | 0.01 | 0.10 |
None of the three was a better guide to later retrenchments than to the same quarter’s. On this test they move with retrenchments and give no early warning.
What firms say they’ll do next
| Firms expecting to | August 2026 | September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Hire in the next three months | 30.5% | 42.3% |
| Raise wages | 16.9% | 19.9% |
| Retrench | 2.8% | 3.1% |
Source: MRSD, MOM, Labour Market Advance Release, Q3 2026. Read 6 Nov 2026. These are firms’ plans, which can change.
When the next figures come out
MOM publishes early estimates about a month after each quarter ends, and the full tables around six weeks later. Vacancies, hiring and re-entry rates come only with the full report, so they lag retrenchments and unemployment.
| Release | What it brings | When |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Force in Singapore, Advance Release 2026 | The new median pay and unemployment by group | 26 Nov to 2 Dec 2026 |
| Labour Market Report, Third Quarter 2026 | Q3 vacancies, hiring and quits, and how many retrenched residents found work | 10 to 16 Dec 2026 |
| Labour Force in Singapore 2026 | The full yearly report | 25 to 29 Jan 2027 |
| Labour Market Advance Release, Fourth Quarter 2026 | First Q4 retrenchment and employment figures, and December unemployment | 28 to 29 Jan 2027 |
Windows from MOM’s own list of upcoming releases. MOM says it confirms each date at least a week ahead. Add these to your calendar.
- Take-home pay calculator Singapore: salary after CPF and tax
- Average and median salary in Singapore, and where your pay ranks
- Median household income in Singapore, by decile, and where your household ranks
Questions people ask
How is Singapore’s job market right now?
Citizen unemployment was 3.1% in September 2026 and 4,800 people were retrenched in Q3 2026. There were 1.48 vacancies for each unemployed person in Q2 2026, and the hiring rate was 1.4% a month. Whether that’s good depends on which number you read, so the table above sets each against its record since 2006.
How many people were retrenched last year?
14,490 in 2025, or 6.3 per 1,000 employees: 10,670 residents and 3,820 non-residents.
Which industries are retrenching most?
Measured against their size in 2025, the highest rates were in information and communications (17.1 per 1,000), financial and insurance services (13.3 per 1,000) and professional services (10.8 per 1,000). The industry table has the rest.
How long does it take to find a job after retrenchment?
In Q2 2026, 54.9% of retrenched residents were back in work within six months and 69.8% within twelve. It varies by age: look up your group.
What counts as a retrenchment?
MOM defines it as ending a permanent employee’s job because of redundancy, or ending a term contract early for the same reason. On that wording, a contract that simply runs out isn’t a retrenchment, and nor is a dismissal for misconduct.
Why does the overall unemployment rate look so low?
It includes foreign workers, whose work passes depend on having a job. The citizen and resident rates are the ones to read for people who stay here between jobs.
Why do news reports give a different retrenchment number?
MOM’s early estimate is rounded and later revised, so a report from the advance release can differ from the final figure. Some reports also give a year’s total rather than a quarter’s.
Does the unemployment rate count retrenched people who stop looking?
No. MOM counts people without work who are actively looking and able to start. Someone who retires or goes back to study leaves the count.
Is a retrenchment benefit required by law?
No. TAFEP says it isn’t mandated by law, and what you get depends on your contract, a collective agreement or negotiation.
The checks
The page tests MOM’s tables against one another every time it loads.
| Check | Expected | Ours | OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retrenched by type of work adds to the total, Q2 2026 | 4,620 | 4,620 | ✓ |
| Retrenched in the main industries is within the total, Q2 2026 | 4,620 | 4,590 | ✓ |
| The four quarters of 2025 add to the yearly total | 14,490 | 14,490 | ✓ |
| The vacancy and retrenchment series end in the same quarter | 2026-Q2 | 2026-Q2 | ✓ |
How we work this out
- The figures: a job reads MOM’s open datasets on data.gov.sg twice a day and rebuilds this page when one changes. See the schedule.
- Early estimates: MOM’s advance figures reach the open data later, so we copy the newest by hand from MOM’s release, marked preliminary. The open figure replaces them by itself when it arrives.
- Our sums: the share of quarters that were worse, hires for each retrenchment, yearly shares, means of four quarters and the correlations. All come from MOM’s figures, and the method is next to each.
- Limits: group rates aren’t a forecast for one person. A group with few retrenchments can jump from quarter to quarter, which is why the group tool uses a four-quarter mean. Before 2006 the quarterly figures leave out the public sector and firms with under 25 staff.
- This page shows numbers, not advice. See our disclaimer, how we get our numbers and corrections.
Contains information from MOM’s datasets on data.gov.sg (retrenchments, unemployment, vacancies, hiring, re-entry and related tables) accessed on 6 Nov 2026 under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0. Advance figures and firms’ expectations: source, MRSD, MOM. This page is not connected with or endorsed by MOM or any other agency.
Changes to this page
Singapore job market: MOM’s retrenchments, unemployment, vacancies and hiring, each set against its record since 2006, what happens to people like you after retrenchment, your industry, and how it compares with past downturns. Singapore job market