0550 GMT - Singapore's businesses seem to be taking a cautious stance in the near term, says DBS economist Chua Han Teng, pointing to mixed data in forward-looking polls by the Ministry of Manpower. Labor demand cooled in 1Q, and while there was an uptick in the number of firms intending to hire in the next three months, it was lower than in 1H 2023, he says. Intent to raise wages also fell. The manufacturing sector saw moderating retrenchments but still-weak employment. Lack of new near-term hiring was likely due to the uneven recovery and lingering global uncertainties, he tells Dow Jones Newswires. DBS expects external-led sectors to help real GDP growth recover in 2024, which would boost employment growth in 2H. (fabiana.negrinochoa@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 30, 2024 01:50 ET (05:50 GMT)
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