SINGAPORE, June 14 — More workers were retrenched in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter and a year ago, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a report released yesterday.

The increase was driven by manufacturing and affected workers in production and electronics, the ministry’s latest labour report said.

And after seven consecutive quarters — or close to two years — of increases, the number of job vacancies declined in the first quarter of this year, from 62,300 last December to 57,100 in March this year.

Here are the key findings from the report:

Retrenchments rose