NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng encouraged companies to join the NTUC Job Security Council’s (JSC) network to take advantage of the support schemes that can help businesses rebound and provide workers with job security during these unprecedented times.
He was speaking at the virtual NTUC National & Job Security Conference on 3 July 2020.
“What the JSC does is to match workers in companies that have excess manpower to companies that need manpower.
“If the workers have skill gaps, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) will work with the company to enhance workers’ skill sets so that they are able to take on these new jobs,” said Mr Ng.
Mr Ng also revealed that to date, the JSC had achieved a 60 per cent success rate in helping workers find employment, equivalent to some 12,000 workers.
The JSC is working to enlist more companies together with unions to plug the recruitment needs of the in-demand roles from both public and private sectors.
In addition to minimising employment downtime, the JSC can help companies stabilise manpower needs by mobilising workers from firms with excess manpower to firms with labour shortages.
The JSC can also partner companies to identify relevant Government support schemes, map out training plans to upskill or reskill workers, recommend ways to improve value creation of workers and pilot solutions in job redesign to improve workflow and productivity.
To extend their reach, the JSC has also been working with trade associations to provide targeted help to sectors, particularly those hardest hit by COVID-19.
“When some companies inevitably have to let go of workers, e2i, together with the unions, will step in through NTUC JSC to mobilise the excess resources to those companies that need them.
“If training is needed for the job or new role, JSC will see to it that we plug the gaps as quickly as possible. Through the power of tripartism and a collaborative ecosystem, I am confident that we can grow a strong Singaporean core to enable workers, companies, sectors and the nation to rebound from the pandemic faster,” said e2i CEO Gilbert Tan.
Mr Ng announced the JSC in February 2020. It is currently operationalised by e2i.
The council’s role is to help improve the matching of workers and professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) before they are retrenched or displaced, into jobs to minimise the duration of unemployment.
According to e2i, the current top hiring vacancies are from sectors such as public service, built environment, logistics and manufacturing.
Roles that are in-demand include preschool teachers, site supervisors, IT and manufacturing engineers, manufacturing operators, cleaners, and security officers.
