Singapore employers added more jobs than initially estimated last quarter, pushing the unemployment rate to the lowest level in almost two years as a strengthening economy boosted hiring sentiment.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 2.2% in the three months through March from 2.3% the previous quarter, according to final figures released by the Ministry of Manpower today. The city state added 36,500 jobs last quarter, compared with an earlier forecast of 34,000. That was the third straight quarter the economy added jobs.

 

The opening of Singapore’s two casino resorts this year, which include a theme park and convention centers, is spurring tourism and fueling employment. Rising job creation may bolster consumer spending and boost services, helping the economy achieve the government’s growth forecast this year of as much as 9%.

 

“The strong economic recovery has led to more people securing jobs,” the ministry said. “Employment grew strongly, contributing to an improvement in unemployment for the second straight quarter as redundancies remained at pre-recessionary levels.”

 

Service companies, such as Genting Singapore Plc, added 33,400 positions in the first quarter, while the manufacturing industry created 3,100 jobs in the same period. The construction industry lost 400 workers, the report showed.

 

There were 37,300 job vacancies as of March, compared with 33,800 at the end of December, according to today’s report. Average wages before adjusting for inflation rose 3.7% in the three months through March from a year earlier, after declining for four quarters.

 

Singapore’s unemployment rate may be 2% by the end of 2010, according to the median estimate in a survey of 19 economists by the Monetary Authority of Singapore released last week.