Unemployment holds at 1.9% in July

Overall rate held steady, whilst citizen and resident figures both dipped from June.

Unemployment rates remained relatively stable at 1.9% in July 2026, where it stayed within the non-recessionary range, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Residents had a 2.8% unemployment rate in July, with 68,900 residents unemployed, whilst citizens reported a slightly higher 2.9% rate, accounting for 60,300 of them.

Three-month MOM data revealed that the unemployment rate in June remained at 1.9%, whilst 2.0% in May.

Unemployment rates for residents and citizens stood at 2.9% and 3.0% respectively, unchanged across both May and June.

The chart shows unemployment has moved in cycles rather than a steady trend, with sharp peaks visible around the early 2000s, the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, and the 2020 pandemic.

These peaks were interspersed with longer calmer stretches, including the current one since around 2022.

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Ministry of Manpower

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