Most Singaporeans and permanent residents (71.5%) who were laid off from work found new employment within six months in the first quarter of 2022, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has reported.
This group of employees was largely middle-aged workers in their 40s and 50s, those working in production and related roles, as well as those with qualifications lower than secondary school.
Eight in 10 retrenched production and transport operators, cleaners, and labourers found work within six months in the first quarter, up from under seven in the last quarter of 2021. For professional, managerial, executive, and technical (PMET) roles, the proportion increased from 64.4% to 69%, while clerical, sales, and service workers who found work in six months fell more than 4 percentage points over the previous quarter.
Overall, the 71.5% of employees who found new employment within six months increased 4.7% from 66.8% in the last quarter of 2021 and represents the highest recorded figure since 2015.
READ: Job vacancies in Singapore hit record high in Q1’2022
In terms of age profiles, almost 8 in 10 workers between 40-49 were re-employed within six months, up from seven in 10 the previous quarter; a similar increase to that posted by workers from qualifications lower than secondary school.
By the end of March, more than 99,000 employers will receive S$840 million (US$619 million) under the Wage Credit Scheme (WCS).
Employee wellbeing is becoming increasingly critical for organisations as they look to nurture a healthy and productive workforce.
Three out of four staff who may currently be working from home will be allowed to return to their workplaces from March 29.
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