The ministry on Monday revised upwards an earlier estimate of 7 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the third quarter, which it said "came on the back of the phased resumption of activities" after a two-month coronavirus lockdown that ended on June 2, according to Deutsche press agency (dpa).
The second quarter saw the wealthy city-state's GDP shrink by a record 13.2 percent after many businesses were forced to close and as lockdowns were imposed in Singapore's trading partner nations.
Year-on-year, Singapore's economy contracted by 5.8 percent in the third quarter, the ministry said, suggesting that impact of coronavirus-related curbs weres still being felt and that the economy is struggling to regain pre-pandemic output.
Singapore’s economy shrinks less than expected in third quarter, with ‘glimmer of light near end of tunnel’ https://t.co/HnPl2uaf4z
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While sectors such as electronics and pharmaceuticals fared relatively well as the pandemic fuelled demand, Singapore's third quarter rebound was curtailed in part by a "continued slump in air passengers" caused by "ongoing global travel restrictions and sluggish air travel demand," the ministry said.
Singapore and Hong Kong on Saturday postponed by two weeks a scheduled reopening of quarantine-free travel between the two finance hubs, citing a recent resurgence of coronavirus case numbers in Hong Kong.
