NTUC Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Jalan Besar GRC Heng Chee How: To not leave mature workers out in planning for future economy
- Employers must not neglect the continued training and development of their mature employees.
- Every Sectoral Tripartite Committee should detail a plan to help their industry sharpen and tap the value of skilled mature workers.
- There must be a step-up in efforts to enable workplaces to appreciate and fully tap contributions of mature workers through refining funding schemes and adopting successful age management methods.
“We must make the working environment as ageless or age-neutral as possible, so that mature workers can be enabled to contribute as much as possible, for as long as possible. Many of them want to, and companies will increasingly need such employees very much, even if some of them have yet to realise it.”
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for West Coast GRC Patrick Tay – Do more to help PMEs navigate current economic challenges
- Widen the outreach of the Career Support Programme to all PMEs, regardless of age. The current criteria does not provide assistance for unemployed PMEs below 40 years old.
- Strengthen the Singaporean Core by having strict measures against recalcitrant companies who have the ‘double weak’ – weak Singaporean Core and weak commitment to it.
- Implement more robust measures for employers who treat the Fair Consideration Framework as mere lip service.
- Set up a support network for unemployed PMEs, like NTUC’s U PME Centre Career Activation Programme.
“The government can spend tons of resources and come up with a buffet of programmes but at the end of the day, it takes two hands to clap but more than just two hands to generate a resounding applause. Employers and businesses across various sectors and industries must believe in the same cause and embrace change before change embraces them.
“Our workers and unions need to stay future ready so as to navigate, weather through and rise above the storm. Government needs to provide the systems and supporting structures to facilitate, encourage and catalyse. Society too must be receptive to changes, abandon old paradigms and adopt major mental model shifts.”
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Ang Hin Kee – Help SMEs adapt and be ready for the future
- Optimise business through the implementation of robots and automation to become more productive.
- Help workers to adapt to automation and help them understand that it is to make their work easier.
- Increase manpower using initiatives like the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn programmes that create a win-win situation for both employer and employee.
“To help our SMEs and upgrade our workers, we should not underestimate the challenges ahead. Just like the story of Journey to the West, there are many difficulties and our opponents are powerful, so we should all work together, move forward together and overcome these challenges along the way.”
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for Pasir-Ris Punggol Zainal Sapari – Help uplift the lives of low-wage workers
- Government should set a target for a higher percentage wage increase for workers at the 20th percentile compared to the 50th percentile to reduce the income gap.
- Make the payment of annual wage supplements and annual increments part of the licensing or registry conditions for the cleaning, security and landscape sectors.
- SkillsFuture outreach efforts towards low-wage workers must be customised and targeted to suit their profile. There must also be jobs to match the higher skills the workers have acquired through SkillsFuture training.
- Service buyers must have the ‘mindset’ to work closely with the service providers during the procurement process and adopt performance based contracts. Service buyers are also encouraged to adopt longer-term service contracts to incentivise greater adoption of technology that could lead to manpower savings and better productivity.
- The Government should also explore a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model in procuring essential services.
- The Government should encourage buildings be designed with a ‘productivity mindset’ at the outset to enable a cost-effective approach in procuring cleaning, security and landscape services where less manpower would be needed.
“I believe that unless we take bolder steps to negotiate the glaring disparities between our low-wage workers and the majority of the Singaporean workforce in matters like wages and employment benefits, low-wage workers will continue to feel marginalised and the income gap will continue to widen. As a nation, the onus is on us to ensure that when they look ahead, they see beyond the status quo. They should see positive change for themselves, their jobs and most importantly, their families.”
NTUC Industrial Relations Department Director (Field) and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Melvin Yong: Help workers move in tandem with economic transformation
- Improve job matching by creating better awareness of available jobs and the skills needed for these jobs.
- Coordinate and bridge manpower demand and supply chains so as to improve the chances for a suitable match between job and worker.
- Create more meaningful internship attachments and apprenticeship programmes to allow students to gain valuable hands-on experience at the workplace.
- Encourage more employers to embark on ‘Place-and-Train’ programmes.
- Work closely with industries to identify future jobs to prepare younger generations and equip them with relevant future skills that meet the needs of future jobs.
- Encourage workers to make use of their SkillsFuture credits.
“We need to transform our industries and our economy. But we must be mindful that there will be workers who will be affected in this transformation process. Singaporeans are most concerned with their job security. I would like to urge for greater sectoral tripartite partnerships between the various government agencies, the employers and the Labour Movement to tighten the support structures for our workers, especially those affected by the structural changes.”
NTUC Industrial Relations Department Director (Progressive Wage Model) and MP for Tampines GRC Desmond Choo: Have an integrated approach to help young workers develop their careers
- Ministry of Education can partner the Labour Movement to guide youths in choosing the right career by allowing NTUC to run their career counselling services.
- Broaden the adoption of the apprenticeship system for certain industries to better prepare youths for work. To encourage companies to do this, consider incentivising companies to start apprenticeship schemes as opposed to only internship programmes.
- The Government should consider working with the Labour Movement to enhance the areas of employment facilitation and worker welfare in sectors such as Infocomm Technology.
“Perhaps what is most critical, beyond good school-to-work preparation and apprenticeship systems, we need our Millennials and Generation Z to have that sense of adventure and gumption to take on the world. We need to have the mindset that even in a period of slow growth, there can be many bright sparks. There are rich findings for those who decide which rainbow to pursue; and work at it with gumption to make it truly theirs.”
NTUC Central Committee member and Labour Nominated MP K Thanaletchimi – Help vulnerable workeras low ws such age workers, women workers and mid-career individuals as the economy transforms
- Give women workers the right to request for flexible work arrangements and equal opportunities for those coming back to the workforce.
- More support should be given to individuals who switch career paths as many may suffer pay cuts when they change career paths, voluntarily or otherwise.
- Strengthen the Professional Conversion Programme through a strong collaboration between all stakeholders, including the companies and unions.
- The introduction of bite-sized SkillsFuture programmes can be an option to help workers who are finding it difficult to commit to long courses due to work commitments.
- Put in place a safety net for middle income earners who are vulnerable to economic changes. More must to be done to assist those who are affected and in between jobs, especially if their job search takes them more than six months.
“As our economy transforms, we will have to transform ourselves. During this period, the vulnerable group needs the most help. This group includes low wage workers, women workers and mid-career individuals who take on new jobs, and more needs to be done to ensure that they are taken care of.”
Source: NTUC This Week
To read what NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing addressed in Parliament, click here.
