MORE foreign workers were laid off last year than locals as the economic slowdown hit companies hard.

Redundancies in 2008 rose faster in percentage terms for foreigners - at 153 per cent - than locals, at 72 per cent, according to a report released by Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department on Friday.

It said although locals formed the majority - 61 per cent - of the redundancies in 2008, their share came down from 70 per cent from a year ago.

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