Singapore Ministry of Manpower
Singapore government ministry for Labour, employment and workforce policy.
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower counted 4,800 retrenchments in the third quarter of 2026, up from 4,620, in a 30 October release that blamed business reorganisation and made no mention of AI.
Last refreshed: 6 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is AI behind Singapore's highest retrenchments since 2020?
Timeline for Singapore Ministry of Manpower
Reported 4,800 third-quarter retrenchments
AI: Jobs, Power & Money: Singapore layoffs rise to 4,800 in Q3Background
The Singapore Ministry of Manpower sets the city-state's Labour, workplace and work-pass policy, and publishes its official Labour-market statistics, including the quarterly retrenchment count. Jasmin Lau has been Acting Minister for Manpower since 27 July 2026, succeeding Tan See Leng.
The ministry took its present name on 1 April 1998, when the Ministry of Labour was restructured. Its roots go back to the Ministry of Labour and Welfare, set up in 1955.
Because its retrenchment numbers are official counts rather than press tallies, they are the yardstick for claims that AI is thinning Singapore's office jobs. Its Labour Market Advance Release of 30 October 2026 put the cuts in information and communications, financial services and manufacturing, and gave reorganisation as the main driver.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 6 November 2026. Editorial standards.