The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) today jointly announced the formation of a PME Taskforce to better protect and enable Professionals, Managers and Executives (PME) who are more vulnerable due to economic transformation and technological disruption – especially mature PMEs aged 40 to 60. The taskforce will engage PMEs, employers and various stakeholders; identify areas of support and look at ways to strengthen PMEs’ employment and employability; and ensure that PMEs have access to a level playing field for jobs, while balancing companies’ manpower needs, in the immediate and longer term.
More support needed for PMEs
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Singapore into an economic slump, putting jobs at risk and causing retrenchments to rise. Against this backdrop, PMEs, especially those in their 40s to 60s, have been significantly impacted. According to the Ministry of Manpower’s Labour Market Report, PMETs made up half of local retrenchment figures in Q2 20201. As compared to the previous quarter, PMETs also saw a slower rate of re-entry into employment after retrenchment.2 In this vein, NTUC recognises the growing need to ensure PMEs are adequately protected, have access to good jobs and are equipped with relevant skills.
The idea of setting up a joint NTUC and SNEF PME Taskforce was first mooted by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng in August this year. The move was also supported by SNEF President Dr Robert Yap, who welcomed the idea of forming a PME Taskforce to address employers’ immediate concerns of business survival and need to retain and build manpower and skills capabilities for economic recovery, growth and competitiveness.
Composition of the PME Taskforce
Co-led by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay and SNEF Executive Director Sim Gim Guan, the PME Taskforce comprises union and industry representatives from the industrial, service and public sectors, who will be able to provide diverse views, lend their expertise and draw valuable insights on PME-related issues. NTUC SG Ng and SNEF President Dr Yap will take on the role of advisors for the taskforce. Refer to Annex A for more information on the members in the taskforce.
Areas of focus for the PME Taskforce
Over the next six months, the taskforce will engage and involve PMEs and employers across varied segments through a series of polls, focus group discussions and events. This will lend itself to a more holistic approach that will enable the taskforce to identify key concerns and needs of different groups of PMEs; gather feedback from employers on potential skill gaps in the workforce; and work with relevant government agencies to review policies impacting PMEs. Research will also be conducted to gain insights on future trends, jobs and skills, with the aim of giving PMEs a leg up in taking on future opportunities. From these engagements and feedback, the taskforce will provide recommendations on government policies, best HR practices for companies and the enabling of PME training, by May Day 2021.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said, “I know PMEs, especially in the 40 to 60 age group, have been significantly impacted by the weakened economy. The PME Taskforce will work to help these PMEs. We will examine how NTUC can better represent them in the workplace; how we can better enable them with skills to secure their jobs in this challenging circumstances, and; ultimately, we want to strengthen our PMEs’ employability and build a skilled workforce with a strong Singaporean Core.”
SNEF President Dr Robert Yap said, “SNEF hopes to achieve three things through this taskforce. Firstly, in the near term, we want to help employers harness the skills and experience of matured PMEs who were retrenched or wish to switch careers in the longer term. Second, with the proportion of PMEs in the workforce increasing, we want to encourage PMEs, especially matured ones, to embrace life-long learning and be adaptable to stay employable. With this, they can meet the skills demand of employers and support business transformation and growth. Third, while Singapore’s labour market remains open to foreigners, we aim to strengthen the Singaporean core, and anchor critical skills in Singapore for business sustainability and competitiveness.”
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay said, “Local PMEs have been greatly impacted by the recession, and the situation is likely to worsen as the Singapore economy continues to experience the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, we need to ensure our PMEs are adequately protected, have access to good jobs and are equipped with relevant skills, so they can thrive in this new normal. Together with SNEF, the PME Taskforce will look at how PMEs’ needs can be addressed, both in the immediate and long-term.”
SNEF Executive Director Sim Gim Guan said, “ The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore many challenges for our employers and workers. I strongly believe that for businesses to thrive, our people must thrive too. Therefore, it is timely that we come together to look at how we can better support our PMEs, especially our mature PMEs, to meet the manpower demand of employers and help drive their business sustainability and growth agenda.”
Labour Research Conference 2020
These updates for the PME Taskforce were provided by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng during his keynote speech at the Labour Research Conference (LRC) 2020 today. LRC 2020, which is in its third edition, was attended by more than 400 participants, comprising local and regional union leaders, union members, tripartite partners, academics from Institutes of Higher Learning and NTUC staff. Themed “Workers’ Matters: Finding ways to brave the roads ahead”, the half-day conference explored key topics such as challenges workers face as companies embark on digitalisation and how collective effort is required to train and prepare the workforce for digital disruption; ways to support workers in terms of employment and employability; as well as strategies to support the professional and skills development of different segments of workers.
1 PMETs made up 50.8% of the local retrenchment figures in Q2 2020 – MOM Labour Market Report Q2 2020, p.13
2 Rate of re-entry into employment of retrenched PMETs was 55.5% in Q2 2020, down from 61.6% in the previous quarter – MOM Labour Market Report Q2 2020, p.17
