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In celebration of International Women’s Month, the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) Women and Family Unit (WAF), in collaboration with North East Community Development Council (CDC) and Punggol Shore Division, will be organising its first-ever job fair for women. The Career Options and Opportunities (Career O2) Job Fair aims to provide employment options and support for women to pursue careers alongside their caregiving responsibilities. Through the Labour Movement’s network and North East CDC’s aggregation of jobs from various partners, more than 200 jobs have been specially curated from progressive employers, offering jobseekers redesigned and part-time roles, as well as family-friendly workplaces. Among the vacancies available, more than half offer flexible working arrangements (FWA).
More than 30 companies will be participating in the fair, including NTUC Health and NTUC First Campus. In a strong show of support, the NTUC social enterprises are offering more than half of the job vacancies at the fair, with available positions such as dental assistants, home care associates, centre supervisors, assistant and trainee teachers. NTUC Health and NTUC First Campus will also be providing information on-site regarding their caregiving services available for children and the elderly.
Other participating employers include Kenko Wellness, Jumbo Group, NannyPro and McDonald’s. Available positions include guest experience leaders, community hosts, service crew and human resource executives, among others.
All participating companies in the job fair meet at least two of the following criteria:
(i) Formalised FWA and/or adopted Tripartite Standard on FWA;
(ii) Formalised Family Care Leave and/or adopted Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs;
(iii) Have Family Support Schemes;
(iv) Have Workplace Harassment Policies and/or adopted Tripartite Standard on Grieviance Handling.
The Career O2 Job Fair will be held physically at Oasis Terraces on Friday (26 March 2021), but will continue virtually till 8 April 2021 at
https://info.findjobs.com.sg/vcf/necdc-jobfair-mar-2021. In addition, North East CDC will be offering SkillsFuture Advice workshops, career coaching and upskilling opportunities at the fair to support women in enhancing their employability.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Director of NTUC’s Women and Family Unit and Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said, “Many women face challenges managing the demands of work and family. In Singapore, caregiving responsibilities are often cited as a reason for women to leave their jobs. In encouraging women to stay or return to the workforce, we must look at more holistic support and remove caregiving as a barrier to them pursuing careers of their choice. This job fair for women seeks to not only provide varied employment options, but choices that support their caregiving responsibilities. In doing so, we hope to empower women to make livelihood choices that work for them and their families, so they can reach their full potential.”
Mr Desmond Choo, Mayor of North East District and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, said, “Career O2 is specially developed in response to the needs of our community. We have heard more families and female residents expressing their concerns and need for supplementary income to support their household, in light of affected employment amid recovery from the impact of COVID-19. The participation of women in the workforce not only contributes to the household income but also brings different skills and perspectives to the employing organisations. In curating jobs and the programmes for Career O2, we considered factors that will enable and empower women to re-enter the workforce or embark on a career that allows them a meaningful balance between family and work.”
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