Women, older folks lift Singapore labour force participation rate to new high (Amended)

MORE women and older folks continue to make a comeback to work, pushing the employment rate of Singapore residents to a new high and keeping the labour market tight.

The resident labour force participation rate jumped to a record 67 per cent this year, "driven by continued increases for women and older residents", according to the Singapore Workforce, 2014 report.

Female participation rate rose from 51.3 per cent in 2004 to 58.6 per cent in 2014. That for older residents - Singaporeans and Permanent Residents aged 55 to 64 - surged from 49.5 per cent to 68.4 per cent.

The employment rate of residents hit a new high of 79.7 per cent, up from 79 per cent in 2013 and 72.3 per cent in 2004.

Correction:

An earlier version of the story indicated more "housewives" are making a comeback to work and that the employment of "Singaporeans" has hit a new high. MOM has since clarified that the term "women" should be used instead of "housewives" because the report also refers to other women (students, singles, etc). MOM also indicated that "Singapore residents" should be used instead of "Singaporeans" because the report refers to both Singaporeans and Permanent Residents.

There was also a typo when we reported that "The employment rate of residents hit a new high of 79.7 per cent, up from 79 per cent in 2103". The year should have been "2013". We apologise for the errors.