DSG’s Lim Swee Say Interview with ChannelNewsAsia, 20 January 2005
20 January 2005
Main Points of Interview that DSG touched on
Primary objective of the Job Redesign programme
- To create more job opportunities for all S’porean and match Singaporeans to the right jobs and tackle structural unemployment.
- NTUC’s concern is that structural unemployment may increase, and we try to help unemployed workers to re-enter the job market as soon as possible.
- This may be achieved in 2 ways:
1) Retraining and upgrading, done over last 2 year like Skills Redevelopment Programme
2) In addition to create new jobs, also look at existing jobs and enhance the job worth to make it attractive to workers.
The Work of NTUC
- NTUC has been working on Job Redesign over last 2 years in collaboration with WDA and other government agencies.
- Various sectors have showed good progress, e.g. cleaning (NEA), healthcare, textile.
- We now want to build on the foundation and spread to as many sectors as possible and have identified 12 sectors as possessing the most potential for us to redesign jobs so as to reduce over dependency on foreign workers and at the same create new employment opportunities that are within reach of many retrenched workers- e.g. construction sector, landscaping and horticulture.
- If Job Redesign is done well, two benefits can be reaped:
(1) Many more job opportunities will be created for many workers, especially older and retrenched workers.
(2) Bringing S’poreans back to traditional sectors will enable us to upgrade the skill profile and capability of the workforce;
- These are extremely important because if we want every sector to become value adding sectors to the economy, and even some to become export-oriented, we must reserve a core group of Singaporean workforce in those sectors.
- Job Redesign then is not just a strategy to reduce structural unemployment; it can also support the broader objective of industrial development.
- Job Redesign Programme will just benefit workers but companies and the country as a whole.
No quick fix solution
- As S’pore develops, structural unemployment will be a challenge, and there can be no quick fix solution.
- The solution must be viable and sustainable, and that is why we attach such importance to Job Redesign
- Employees mindsets’ must change – they must take pride in every job they do.
- Job Redesign can create a new growth path for S’pore; we can instill pride in our woek in every sector and S’pore can grow to become a land of opportunities.Encouraging a Mindset Change, working beyond 62.
- Within the unionized sector, there are companies already have programmes to employ workers beyond 62, however, it is not widespread enough and thus the effective retirement age is lower than official retirement age.
- To encourage The labour movement intends to:
(1) Publicise orgs that have found a viable and productive way that make good use of older workers’ so that more orgs can learn
(2) Learn from the experience of other countries like Japan, S. Korea and Ireland. Their economies face tremendous competition, but they are able to achieve higher effect retirement age than official age, we can learn from their practices
- The importance of mindset change is that we must start paying attention to how we use our older workers.
- Older workers should not be seen as a burden, but as another source of labour supply – productive and competent workers
- If we believe that, we can encourage more and more organizations to employ, and more and more employees to work beyond 62.
- Our effective retirement age can be raised progressively, without adding to business costs and eroding competitiveness.
- From the labour movement’s point of view, the objective is not raise the retirement age in paper, but in reality as it would make a difference to the workers.
