Singapore's employment increased robustly by 45,000 in the first quarter of this year, more than double the number of 17,800 recorded in the corresponding months of last year, according to the figures released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on June 15.

The MOM said that the strong expansion was in line with continued economic growth and that all the major sectors registered increases in employment.

Some 28,000 workers found jobs in the services sector in the first quarter, comprising the bulk of the employment growth, while the employment gains for the manufacturing and construction sectors were 11,100 and 5,600 respectively in the same period.

The overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained stable at 2.6 percent in March this year, unchanged from a quarter ago, while the resident long-term unemployment rate for the March period dropped to an eight-year low of 0.5 percent.