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• Singapore’s PMI hits 52.8 in April 2025, but job cuts persist despite growth

  Singapore’s private sector expanded in April 2025, with the PMI rising to 52.8, its highest since November 2024. While new business orders and output grew, employment levels continued to decline, leading to rising backlogs. Firms are cautious about hiring despite improved demand, citing concerns over global trade and economic uncertainty. Falling average prices also suggest businesses are adjusting to maintain competitiveness.

  

• Thousands of job seekers, including graduates, compete for Jakarta city sanitation roles amid layoff surge

  Jakarta is seeing thousands of job seekers, including university graduates, apply for sanitation roles amid rising layoffs and limited job options. Over 8,000 applicants have competed for just 1,100 city positions offering stable pay and benefits. The overwhelming response reflects growing workforce insecurity, with many choosing security over qualification-matching roles as unemployment pressures mount.

  

• Singapore president highlights India's Aspirational Districts programme at Philanthropy Asia Summit

  President Tharman Shanmugaratnam lauded India's 'Aspirational Districts Programme' at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025, emphasizing its community empowerment approach in underdeveloped regions. Launched in 2018 by Prime Minister Modi, the initiative focuses on transforming 112 districts with support from organizations like the Gates Foundation.

  

• Explainer: RBI’s push to internationalise the rupee through special vostro accounts

  By gradually increasing the number of trade partners using INR and stabilising the settlement infrastructure, India aims to enhance monetary sovereignty, insulate trade from geopolitical disruptions, and promote financial stability in its external sector.

  

• Voting underway in Singapore as its long-ruling party seeks a bigger win

  Singaporeans voted in a general election, a key test for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, amid economic concerns and rising cost of living. While the ruling People's Action Party is expected to maintain its dominance, the election gauges support for Wong's leadership and the opposition's potential gains.

  

• NTUC to drive business transformation and upskill more workers: Labour chief Ng Chee Meng

  Singapore’s labour movement is boosting workforce support with virtual career coaching, industry-wide training via new Cluster Company Training Committees, and an upgraded Job Security Directorate to drive job matching and business transformation. Over 110,000 workers have already been placed since 2020. Amid rising unemployment and a downgraded 2025 growth forecast (0–2%), NTUC also highlighted improved legal protections for platform workers and ongoing efforts to lift lower-wage earners through the Progressive Wage Model.

  

• Singapore's long-ruling party seeks stronger election victory in test for new prime minister

  Singaporeans are heading to the polls to vote in a general election, testing Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's leadership and the People's Action Party's (PAP) long-held dominance. While the PAP is expected to retain power, the election serves as a crucial gauge of public sentiment amid concerns over the cost of living and government control.

  

• US private sector adds just 62,000 jobs in April, lowest gain in 9 months

  US private-sector hiring slowed to just 62,000 jobs in April, the weakest pace in nine months, signalling growing employer caution amid economic and policy uncertainty. ADP data showed headcount declines in education, health, information, and business services. Despite subdued layoffs, job cuts are rising among federal contractors, and wage growth is cooling. Job switchers saw a 6.9% pay rise, while stayers gained 4.5%.

  

• Celebrating International Labour Day 2025: How Southeast Asian countries are advancing workers’ protection

  As we celebrate International Labour Day 2025, under the theme ‘Safety and Health of Workers’, it's a perfect time to revisit how countries in the Southeast Asia region are ramping up efforts to safeguard workers against mental and physical exploitation in the evolving tech-disrupted workplace scenarios. Discover how initiatives like Singapore’s SkillsFuture jobseeker support and Malaysia’s Zero Vision safety programme are reshaping workforce resilience, enhancing safety, boosting employability through reskilling, and ensuring inclusive protections for current and future workers.

  

• Singapore adds just 2,300 jobs in Q1 2025 amid economic uncertainty, unemployment rises to 2.9%: MoM

  Singapore's labour market showed signs of slowing in Q1 2025, with employment growth dropping to just 2,300 jobs compared to previous quarters. While unemployment rose slightly, the retrenchment rate remained low, highlighting ongoing business resilience. Callam Pickering, APAC Senior Economist at Indeed, noted that geopolitical and economic uncertainty, including a potential US-led trade war, could further impact job creation in the near term. Despite this, elevated job vacancies and government measures aimed at upskilling and job support may help sustain employment in the short term.

  

• Mid-career shifts dominate Vietnam's labour market as 43% of job seekers are under 40: Report

  In Q1 2025, workers aged 30–39 made up the largest group of job seekers in Vietnam, reflecting mid-career job transitions rather than unemployment, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs. While most job seekers targeted roles in business and marketing, employers were recruiting for engineering and transport, revealing a skills mismatch. Experts warn of a “mid-career trap” as evolving job demands outpace workers’ skills. Despite a drop in unemployment claims, unskilled workers remained the largest group seeking benefits.