Will jobs outlook follow upgraded forecasts of S'pore economic growth?

OF several big challenges confronting Singapore, the problem of low economic growth and attendant poor employment outlook arguably ranks below that of, say, tackling the scourges of religious extremism and terrorism or safeguarding cyber security - at least in terms of presenting high and immediate risks.

Yet, for the thousands of young men and women due to graduate from university in the coming months (and other job-seekers, for that matter), there possibly could not be worse news than reports such as the latest findings from ManpowerGroup's quarterly employment outlook released last week.

According to the US-based firm's poll of more than 600 employers in Singapore, job prospects have continued to dim, with the hiring pace likely to slow in the July-September quarter as recruitment plans decline in six of the seven sectors covered. (The exception to the trend, with the strongest hiring intentions, is curiously the "mining and construction sector".) It is in fact the weakest employment outlook for Singapore in eight years, since the 2009 recession. Regionally, Singapore and China emerged with the weakest forecasts in ManpowerGroup's latest employment poll, while employers in Japan and Taiwan were apparently the most upbeat.