​Business Costs of Singapore's Manufacturing and Services Sectors

Business costs in the manufacturing and services sectors have increased after a period of decline during the global financial crisis (Exhibit 1). Between the third quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2013, the unit business cost (UBC) index for the manufacturing sector rose by 19 per cent cumulatively, while the unit services cost (USC) index for the services sector rose by a higher 25 per cent. However, the pace of increase in business costs has moderated in recent quarters. For the whole of 2013, the UBC index rose by 1.5 per cent, slower than the 3.5 per cent increase in the previous year. Similarly, the increase in the USC index eased from 3.1 per cent in 2012 to 2.1 per cent in 2013.

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