The Manpower Ministry, in a preliminary report on the labour market, said employment gains "moderated" in the first quarter of 2005, when 11,600 new jobs were created compared with 13,700 in the same period last year.

The figure was well down on the 32,700 new jobs created in the final three months of 2004, reflecting the sharp slowdown in Singapore's economic growth.

Singapore's economy grew 2.4 percent in the first quarter of this year after 6.5 percent in the last quarter of 2004.

The government forecasts growth of 3-5 percent this year, and probably at the lower end of that range, after 8.4 percent last year.

Despite the slowdown in employment growth, the jobless rate remained lower than the 4.5 percent posted in the same period last year when the economy was on the mend following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome crisis.


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