Singapore - Tertiary Industries Employment

For Singapore, employment level by broad industry aggregate ("sector") annually and employment change quarterly.

Employment change refers to the change in the number of persons who are in employment, derived by taking the difference in the employment level at the end of the reference period compared with the end of the preceding period. A positive (negative) change indicates additions (reductions) to the number of persons who are employed.

Level

Active:

• Source table: M182841 - Employment (Persons) By Sector, (As At Year-End), Annual
• Classification: SSIC 2015, based on UN ISIC Rev. 4
• Measurement: Thousands of persons (Ths. #)
• Adjustment: Not applicable
• Native frequency: Annual
• Start date: As early as 2001

Change

Active:

• Source table: M183131
• Classification: SSIC 2015
• Measurement: Unitary count of persons, quarter-over-quarter change (# Q/Q)
• Adjustment: Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequency: Quarterly
• Start dates:
  • 1991Q1 for total
  • 2002Q1 for 13 series
  • 2009Q1 for 6 series

Predecessors:

• SSIC 2010 - 2002 to 2018
• SSIC 2005 - 1991 to 2011

The source writes:

Administrative records. The self-employed component is estimated from the Labour Force Survey. Data may not add up to the total due to rounding. The industries are classified based on SSIC 2015 from 2008 onwards and SSIC 2005 before 2008.

Coverage

The employment data comprises all persons in employment i.e. employees and the self–employed. However, it excludes males who are serving their 2-year full-time national service liability in the Singapore Armed Forces, Police and Civil Defense Forces.

Concepts and definitions

Employment change

This refers to the difference in the employment level at the end of the reference period compared with the end of the preceding period.

Data on the number of local employees are compiled from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board's administrative records of active contributors defined as local employees who have at least one CPF contribution paid for him/her. A local employee is any Singapore citizen or permanent resident who is employed by an employer under a contract of service or other agreement entered into in Singapore. Every local employee and his/her employer are required to make monthly contributions to the CPF which is a compulsory savings scheme to provide workers financial security in old age and helps meet the needs of healthcare, home-ownership, family protection, and asset enhancement.

Data on foreigners working in Singapore are compiled from the stock of foreigners on valid work passes issued by the Ministry of Manpower. Foreigners can work in Singapore only if they have valid work passes issued by the Ministry of Manpower, upon application by their employers.

The number of self-employed persons is estimated from the Labour Force Survey. The self-employed comprises persons aged 15 years and over who performed some work for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind.

Yes. Data are revised each month when new data becomes available.

The industry classification is advanced every five years.

For change in employment, components may not sum to the total due to rounding.

Further reading

At the source:

• source (dead link)
• Labour [sic], employment, wages and productivity (theme page)
• Labour [sic], employment, wages and productivity: Related info
• M182841 - Employment (Persons) By Sector, (As At Year-End), Annual (data table)

At IMF (SDDS):

• Labor market: Employment (Oct 2021)