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| | | | | | | SINGAPORE: Singapore has recorded its highest employment rate in 15 years with improvements, particularly, in the hiring of older workers.
The Manpower Ministry's Research and Statistics Department said that in June this year, 76 percent of its resident population, aged 25 to 64, were employed.
This was up from 73 percent last year and 72 percent in 2004.
But one group that needs help to remain employable is the low-skilled so the Workforce Development Agency, or WDA, is coming up with several strategies.
Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen said Singapore's economy has been doing well over the past three years.
Unemployment is also down.
So, this is a good time for the Ministry to take a pause to learn the lessons of the last six years and prepare to move forward.
One thing is also clear - globalisation is working for Singapore and the results are even more impressive because of the shocks we have gone through.
The Manpower Minister emphasised that one key factor that has contributed to the present status of employment rates in Singapore is the government's efforts to ensure that the correct economic and manpower development policies are implemented in the country and that includes constantly re-examining programmes to re-skill workers.
He said: "We have got to continually change, adapt, be very sensitive to the ground and find ways to make sure that the balance is correct. If we find that vulnerable workers need more help, we have got to step it up to help. We have got to keep them with us. We cannot risk social disruption."
So an Employability Skills System has been set up to cater to the more than half a million people in their 40s, who had missed out on their school education.
The Minister noted that asking them now to do an O or N level may not be the most sensible thing.
He said: "Our gap in thinking before was that many of our adult training systems said, well, you need an O and anN level in order for you to enter the programme, or before you want to move on to the next step. But we have half a million workers who are above 40 years old who missed out on their school education in the eighties and to ask them to do an O and N level may not be the most sensible thing to do. And also it may not be relevant."
That is the reason WDA created the employability skills system which basically takes into account work experience.
Mr Ng said: "Just like in schools, there are the three Rs - reading, writing and arithmetic, I think there is also a 3R framework for adult training and it will be relevance, recognition, reward. So the employability skill system moves from a paper-based system to one that recognises training and one relevant to the employer and employee as well."
And the programme has made some breakthroughs.
The Minister said: "We have recently been able, because of making sure that the standards are preserved, to now get ITE to recognise it as equivalent to an O and N level entry requirement to ITE courses. In other words, if you chalk up enough employability skills system certificates, ITE will say, "well, that's equivalent to O and N level. I will take you in to move you to the next step"".
Turning to older workers, Dr Ng noted that their employment prospects had also improved.
He noted: "There are certain industries that have now found out that "actually I prefer an older worker". I am quite neutral, as the Minister for Manpower. Whoever you want to hire is fine by me. But I want to make sure that on an aggregated scale, we have enough jobs for Singaporeans and older workers are also working."
Compared with other developed economies, however, the number of older workers and women employees is still low, something which the Manpower Ministry will address in the years ahead. - CNA/ch/dt |
