Unemployment Rate Evolution in Singapore from 1990 to 2021

Singapore’s unemployment rate has remained relatively low over the decades, reflecting the city-state’s strong economic growth and strategic investments in education and workforce development. Unemployment rose slightly in the early 2000s, reaching 5.9% in 2003 due to the SARS outbreak. However, the rate dropped significantly thereafter, stabilizing around 4% from 2006 to 2016 as the economy expanded.

The rate spiked to 4.6% in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which heavily impacted Singapore’s trade-dependent economy. Government interventions, including subsidies and upskilling initiatives, helped mitigate long-term unemployment, allowing the economy to bounce back as global demand resumed, resulting in a decrease to 3.6% by 2022.