Singapore  - The deterioration in Singapore's job market appeared to have stabilized in the second quarter, the government said Tuesday, as the number of redundancies fell sharply and the unemployment rate held steady after five-straight quarters of increases.

The unemployment rate stood at a seasonally adjusted 3.3 per cent in June, unchanged from March.

"More people deferred job searches and pursued courses," the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement.

From April to June, 5,980 workers lost their jobs, a number less than half the 12,760 redundancies posted in the first quarter.

Singapore's economy showed signs of a recovery recently as the city-state struggles to emerge from its worst recession in more than four decades, but the government said it was too early to expect a sustainable rebound.

In August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned Singapore to brace for more job losses in the second half of 2009. (dpa)