SINGAPORE: 4,620 retrenchments. The number jumps out from Singapore's labour market figures for the second quarter of 2026, marking the highest quarterly total since the fourth quarter of 2020.
But the number of retrenchments is only one measure of how Singapore's labour market is performing.
Singapore’s labour market remains relatively healthy. Employment continued to grow, unemployment remained low, and there were still 1.48 job vacancies for every unemployed person.
What deserves closer attention is what happens after someone loses a job. How quickly do they return to work? What kind of job do they eventually find?