The latest report from the Manpower Research and Statistics Department of the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore has found the employment outcomes of Singapore citizens to have been positive over the past decade. The figures produced by the department show that trends are tracking resident data, a result of Singapore citizens now making up around 85 per cent of the resident labour force.
Over the last decade the employment rate of Singapore citizens has risen from 60.0 per cent in June 2009 to 63.6 per cent ten years later. This increase has been driven mainly by those aged 65 and over, reflecting the efforts to raise the employability of older workers. Workers aged between 25 and 64 rose faster in the earlier part of the decade but then slowed ass the cohort got older. Employment for those between 15 and 24 declined in recent years, a result of greater interest in further studies.
The number and share of professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) among employer citizens have increased steadily from 47 per cent in June 2009 to 56 per cent in June 2019.
The department also found incomes rising over the time period. The real median income growth for full-time employed Singapore citizens in the last five years was 3.9 per cent p.a., compared to 2.1 per cent in the previous five years.