Total employment rises by 55,500 in 2025 as unemployment stays low

Retrenchments remained within non-recessionary norms.

The labour market grew over the full year of 2025, with total employment rising by 55,500, up from 44,500 in 2024, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

In the fourth quarter, employment increased by 17,700, marking the 17th consecutive quarter of growth since the same period in 2021.

In 2025, resident employment grew by 11,600, largely in financial services and health & social services.

Non-resident employment rose by 43,900, driven primarily by work permit holders in the Construction sector.

Unemployment remained low in December, at 2% overall, 2.9% for residents, and 3% for citizens. Resident long-term unemployment stayed at 0.9%.

Meanwhile, job vacancies rose from 69,600 in September 2025 to 77,700 in December. The ratio of vacancies to unemployed persons increased from 1.50 to 1.58 over the same period.

Retrenchments remained within non-recessionary norms. For the full year, 14,490 employees were retrenched, a rate of 6.3 per 1,000.

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Ministry of Manpower

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