The tripartism partnership between the Government, the Labour Movement and employers has been a winning recipe in Singapore to ensure an economic growth that has benefitted all Singaporeans.
Next on the cards –tripartism at the sectoral level to deepen collaboration, industry by industry, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam in his speech at the May Day Dinner.
Sectoral Committees
Sectoral Tripartite Committees will be formed in all key sectors to co-own and co-drive sector-specific imperatives, especially the development of Sectoral Manpower Plans under SkillsFuture.
SkillsFuture is a national movement to provide Singaporeans with the opportunities to develop their fullest potential throughout life, regardless of their starting points.
Through SkillsFuture, the skills, passion and contributions of every individual will drive Singapore's next phase of development
These will involve senior representatives from the sectoral unions, employers and trade association and chambers, and the government sector agencies.
"Tripartism is critical to how we will achieve SkillsFuture. Government, unions and businesses must come together to collaborate in a new way, to identify the skills needed for the future, work with our tertiary educational institutions and training providers to design courses to equip Singaporeans with these skills and make it convenient and fulfilling to everyone to learn at any age," said DPM Tharman
Financial Sector Committee
He gave two examples of how the sector tripartite committee will function.
For the finance sector, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and NTUC will work with unions and businesses to ensure that the financial sector workforce is well-equipped with the skillsets needed as the landscape continues to evolve. The Financial Sector Tripartite Committee is slated to be formed from September this year.
DPM Tharman explained: "The financial sector globally is undergoing change. Weaker growth, more stringent regulatory requirements, and new technologies are transforming financial institutions and markets.
“It is likely to mean a very different job landscape in the next ten years. New roles are being created, existing roles will require new skillsets and some roles will be automated and made redundant. We have to prepare for this new landscape. It is not a bleak landscape if we prepare for it and indeed there is significant opportunity in this for Singapore."
Maritime Sector
For the maritime sector, two tripartite task forces have been formed. These are the Task Force Sea and Task Force Shore. They will take SkillsFuture forward and ensure that the maritime industry in Singapore continues to remain competitive.
The task forces bring together all the key players –the sectoral unions like the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen, industry associations as well as leading training providers.
Source: NTUC This Week
