SINGAPORE, Oct 24 — New labour market data out today showed Singapore’s strongest employment growth in almost five years, but also rising retrenchments and the highest unemployment rate in nearly a decade.

Addressing the apparent contradiction in a Facebook post, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said today that the data suggest that mismatches in the labour market are widening.

"It could be jobseekers not having the skills to access available jobs, or jobs being insufficiently attractive. Closing the gaps require both jobseekers and employers to be more open and flexible,” she said.

The preliminary third-quarter data, released by the Ministry of Manpower, showed that the number of people employed, excluding foreign domestic workers, shot up to its highest quarterly increase since almost five years ago.

Employment growth

Total employment for the third quarter of 2019 grew by 22,400, excluding foreign domestic workers.

Sectors that contributed to employment growth: