Singapore’s employers added jobs for a second consecutive quarter and vacancies dropped as an expanding economy boosted hiring sentiment among companies, reported Bloomberg.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.1% in the three months ended December, down from 3.4% in the previous quarter, according to revised figures released by the Ministry of Manpower today. That’s in line with the government’s January estimate. The city-state added 37,500 jobs last quarter, less than an earlier forecast of 38,700 new positions.

Last quarter, employers fired or released 2,220 workers from their contracts early. A total of 23,430 people were fired in 2009, the most in eight years. About 30,000 workers were retrenched after the Asian financial crisis in 1998, while about 26,000 people lost their jobs in the 2001 recession.

The manufacturing industry added 700 jobs in the last three months of 2009, reversing four quarters of declines. About 43,700 manufacturing jobs were lost last year. Service industries added 31,500 positions in the fourth quarter, while construction companies added 4,600 new workers, the report showed. The economy added 37,600 jobs last year.