Thousands of jobs in Singapore may go in next 6 months, say experts

People at a job fair held by the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute at Chong Pang Community Club last month. - The Straits Times/Asian News Network

SINGAPORE, Sept 8 (The Straits Times/ANN): There is a limit to what the Government can do to cushion the weakening job market, said observers, who expect tens of thousands of jobs here to be cut within the next half a year, when the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic will be felt.

Measures that have staved off retrenchments, such as the recently extended Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) that helps offset part of the wages of local workers, draw heavily on the country's reserves, added experts, who fear the intensity of layoffs will build up for a while.