Singapore - Jobs in the service sector are now hotter than ever before, according to latest figures by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Channel News Asia reported that employment grew by 68,000 in the first quarter of 2008. This is higher than the increase of 62,500 in the previous quarter.

The construction sector increased their workforce by 13,400 - fuelled by the growth in building activities.

On the other hand, not all sectors are experiencing the same employment growth. The manufacturing sector retrenched as 1,500 out of the total 2,000 retrenched workers.

MOM estimated that the number of retrenched staff in the first quarter of 2008 is similar to the previous quarter in the first quarter in last year.

On the whole, the unemployment rate went up to two percent in March 2008 from a seasonally adjusted 1.7% in December last year. This remains lower than a year ago.