Re-entry of Retrenched Residents into Workforce

33 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Manpower (a) in each quarter since the first quarter of 2000 to 2012, what is the re-entry to employment rate of retrenched residents; and (b) since the first quarter of 2000, what proportion of those who re-entered employment found jobs that paid at least 80% of their last drawn wage and were in the same sector as their previous jobs.

Dr Tan See Leng: We publish data on the proportion of retrenched residents who re-entered employment within six months post-retrenchment from 2000 onwards on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website.

The data for the proportion of those who re-entered employment in the same sector is available annually in the fourth quarter's Labour Market Report. The requested time series is provided below in Table 1, where around two-thirds re-entered into a different industry since 2009. While wage data for the requested time series is not available, a 2021 MOM study found that retrenched residents who re-entered employment in the same industry from which they were retrenched were more likely to receive similar or higher wages in their new roles, compared to those who switch industries. This is expected as employers tend to place more value on workers' prior industry-specific experience.