SINGAPOREstarburstfreespins, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's total employment grew by 4,700 in the first quarter of this year, down from 7,500 in the previous quarter, according to the labor market report released by the Ministry of Manpower Thursday.

The growth was driven entirely by new employment among Singaporean residents, the report noted.

Meanwhile, non-resident employment dropped by 800 in the first three months as the authority lowered the quota for foreign workers in the construction and manufacturing sectors this year. It was the first decrease in non-resident employment since the third quarter of 2021.

Singapore registered the overall unemployment rate at 2.1 percent in March, 0.1 percentage points higher than the previous month.

Total employment in Singapore reached 3,718,100 by March, according to the report.■