Advance estimates showed that Singapore’s labour market continued to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 1Q 2021. Total employment (excl. MDW) grew for the first time since 4Q 2019 as the increase in resident employment outweighed the decline in non-resident employment. Unemployment rates declined further in March 2021 while the number of retrenchments fell for the second consecutive quarter to a level usually observed in pre-pandemic quarters.