A recent report from the Ministry of Manpower revealed the top reason for economic inactivity among females was family responsibilities.
More women are finding work now because of a tight labour market and measures to help women land jobs.
The percentage of women residents aged 25 to 64 in employment grew to 68.5 per cent in 2012, up from 67.4 per cent the year before.
Since the start of the Back to Work with U Programme in 2007, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) together with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) have placed 16,000 women in meaningful jobs.
Among women in the prime working ages of 25 to 54, the employment rate was 74 per cent in 2012 – up from 73 per cent the year before.
The increase is steeper among matured female workers. The employment rate for women aged 55 to 64 was 48.1 per cent in 2012 - up from 46.3 per cent the year before.
Measures by NTUC WDS to bring women back to work have included the ‘Jobs on Wheels’ (JOW) van, initiatives such as the Train & Place in Contact Centre, Place & Train in Hamper Packaging and Floral Arrangement, Banking Career Skills Workshop, as well as specific schemes such as the Jay Gee Golden Girl Scheme and job fairs.
A total of over 1,000 women job seekers attended the 11 JOW sessions organised island wide from July to November 2012. Equipped with 500 employment opportunities suitable for women job seekers in each move-off, the initiative allows better outreach to women job seekers at the heartlands and brings jobs near their homes.
NTUC WDS also invited a professional banker to share insights on the opportunities and career progression in the banking industry, with grooming experts on site to help professional women job seekers look good and feel confident about themselves.
Companies facing tightened foreign worker quotas said they are trying to attract women through flexible work schemes. For example, Jay Gee Enterprises has introduced a 25-hours work week over three weekdays to appeal to mature housewives.
NTUC WDS will continue to intensify efforts and work with the union clusters and tripartite partners to leverage on the resources available to bring women back to work and promote flexible work arrangements to employers.
