Jobs creation seen taking a break amid economic uncertainty

Singapore

THE JOB creation machinery, which has been cranking up in the second half of 2018, is likely to ease as it enters the new year when employers, faced with an uncertain economic outlook, balk at hiring new people.

With recruitments tipped to soften, the prognosis for pay in 2019 is not great either: a 4 per cent hike, the same as in 2018 and below the Asia-Pacific's average 5.9 per cent, is being predicted by global advisory, broking and solutions firm Willis Towers Watson.

Yet unemployment is likely to stay low - around 2.2 per cent, according to credit and research firm Fitch Solutio…