NTUC Innovates to Enhance Job Security for Workers
~ The inaugural NTUC Career Festival showcases resources, support and networking opportunities for workers, including PMEs, to enhance career progression and job security; and for businesses to drive productivity and growth ~
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) announced that it will strengthen its digital innovation and develop1 to enhance job security for workers, with a focus on Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs); and to help businesses enhance their productivity and growth, enabling workers to benefit from skills training, better wages, welfare and work prospects.
This is a continuation of NTUC’s efforts to address workers’ concerns on job security. Recent data from NTUC’s 2025 Survey on Economic Sentiments revealed that 34% of respondents expressed concerns about losing their jobs in the next three months2. Furthermore, NTUC notes that the total number of retrenched workers in the first three quarters of 2024 has surpassed the total number for each year in 2021 and 2022; and is nearing 2023's 3.
At the inaugural NTUC Career Festival held today, Guest-of-Honour, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, shared these trends concerning workers’ job security and said, “NTUC is taking proactive action to enhance workers’ job security in today’s challenging economic climate. With our Labour Movement’s extensive network and resources, we will continue to innovate and support workers in their career journey. For them, building up job security is more than securing a first job, the current role or next opportunity. It requires continuously shaping their careers and skills through planning, progression and prospecting; and this is where NTUC comes in to help them. Besides supporting our workers, we will continue to partner companies in driving their business transformation too. This is to ensure that businesses thrive, workers achieve stability, and the economy prospers.”
NTUC Highlights Key Innovations and Services to Support Workers and Businesses
NTUC’s innovations and services, including the NTUC Job Security Council; expansion of NTUC e2i’s (Employment and Employability Institute) career and job services touchpoints; NTUC Mentorship Ecosystem; and NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) and CTC Grant, have achieved positive outcomes in enhancing the lives and livelihoods of Singaporean workers. These include:
For Workers
a) Stronger Placement and Transition Support for Workers, including PMEs
Since the formation of the NTUC Job Security Council (JSC) in February 2020, JSC, managed by NTUC’s e2i, has placed over 110,000 workers4. NTUC JSC was introduced to enhance job matching for workers and minimise the impact of retrenchments on workers. Subsequently, NTUC JSC has been expanded to support companies in their workforce and business transformation, which enables workers in these companies to enjoy better wages and career development. Doing so enables JSC to go beyond assisting at-risk workers, to enhancing career mobility and alleviating anxieties over job and income insecurity for a larger group of workers.
Additionally, the expansion of e2i’s career and job services touchpoints from two to 27 in 2024 strengthened NTUC’s support for workers. The e2i Career Centres and e2i Jobs and Skills Centres provide jobseekers with career advisory, job placement, and skills upgrading advisory. Since the expansion, between April and November 2024, e2i placed about 24,000 jobseekers, around a 70% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
To provide a more scalable and sustainable solution for matching jobseekers to suitable roles and identifying skills gaps, e2i will be expanding the capabilities of its AI-powered Virtual Career Coach (VCC). This digital assistant supports e2i’s career coaches by consolidating job listings from national and in the future, other job banks, alongside skills upgrading courses, all in one place. By quickly analysing resumes and RIASEC 5 profiles, the VCC delivers targeted job insights, boosting coaches’ efficiency and enabling more effective engagement with jobseekers. It also identifies skills gaps and recommends relevant upskilling courses, helping jobseekers better prepare for new job opportunities. Over 3,000 jobseekers have benefitted since VCC’s roll-out in August 2024. Please refer to Annex A for the case studies illustrating how VCC benefited jobseekers.
b) Empowering Workers and Shaping Careers with NTUC Mentorship Ecosystem
Beyond supporting workers in training and career placement, NTUC is also supporting workers’ need for mentorship opportunities. According to NTUC’s #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations Report 2023, 19 per cent of youth identified career mentorship as a key resource for gaining real-world experience and insights 6. The NTUC’s Youth Taskforce Report 2023 further revealed that about 82 per cent of youth believe that mentorship opportunities should be pursued close to or upon graduation, extending up to six years into their careers, while 11.5 per cent believes in lifelong mentorships . These findings highlight that mentorship is an essential tool for career development, particularly for fresh graduates.
The NTUC Mentors Network was also officially launched today. The network has over 1,100 mentors available across three programmes – the NTUC Executive Mentorship Programme; Women Supporting Women Mentorship Programme; and Young NTUC Career Mentorship Programme. Mentees can choose from the three tailored programmes designed to support their needs at various stages of their life or careers. The NTUC Executive Mentorship Programme, piloted in 2023, has matched nearly 150 PME mentor-mentee pairs. The Young NTUC Career Mentorship Programme, first launched in 2017 as the Youth Career Network, has engaged more than 12,000 youth with mentorship and networking opportunities.
To enhance the NTUC Mentorship Ecosystem, the NTUC U PME, in partnership with Republic Polytechnic, has developed a structured career mentoring competency framework aimed at establishing consistent and recognised mentoring standards across various domains and industries. This initiative will equip mentors with essential career mentoring competencies through targeted training courses. Mentors who participate in the courses will receive corresponding recognition upon completion, serving as a mark of credibility. Mentors will also become part of a community of like-minded peers, fostering connections based on shared goals, expertise and interests, where they can exchange ideas, best practices and gain insights from each other’s experiences. Please refer to the Annex B for more details on the mentorship programmes.
For Businesses
c) Accelerating Efforts to Drive Business and Workforce Transformation
Other than supporting workers, NTUC has been working with companies to embark on their business transformation and identify skills and training needed for workers to keep pace with the transformation. Companies can implement these plans by leveraging the NTUC’s CTC, the CTC Grant, and Operation and Technology Roadmap (OTR). The positive impact of the CTC initiatives is evident, with nearly 200,000 workers benefitting from skills 8.
The CTC Grant, administered by NTUC’s e2i, is funded from the $100 million set aside by the Government to scale up NTUC’s CTC initiative. The grant helps enhance business capabilities and worker outcomes, and co-funds up to 70 per cent of qualifying cost for companies’ transformation projects or training tied to transformation project. As of 31 December 2024, more than 85% of the CTC Grant has been committed for about 480 approved CTC Grant projects. More than 7,400 PMEs and rank-and-file workers across more than 330 companies could benefit, with an average wage increase of five per cent above annual increment, structured career pathways through Career Development Plan and/or skills allowances.
As NTUC continues to drive CTCs, efforts will be made to enhance the assessment of transformation needs by introducing more tools to support companies as they undergo holistic transformations, while upgrading the jobs, skills and careers of workers.
NTUC Career Festival Provides Career and Business Support for Workers and Companies Respectively
The NTUC Career Festival brings together a full spectrum of NTUC’s placement, training and job redesign offerings in one place. Participants can explore products and services from NTUC’s Training and Placement Ecosystem, Young NTUC, NTUC Professionals, Managers and Executives (U PME), NTUC U Small and Medium Enterprises (U SME), and NTUC U Women and Family (U WAF). This two-day flagship event, taking place on 10 and 11 January 2025, Friday and Saturday, from 9.00 am to
6.00 pm, at Sands Exhibition Hall Sands Expo and Convention Centre (Halls B and C), features a range of activities to support both workers and companies.
Festival highlights include the Career Launchpad, an interactive journey through six themed zones to provide participants with resources, guidance and connections to support their careers. There will also be a skills and training marketplace; a recruitment fair offering over 5,000 job vacancies; thematic presentations; panel discussions led by industry experts and thought leaders; and booths on personal branding, employment toolkits, and more. Participants will also be able to network with over 70 employers across various industries to gain insights into company cultures that fuel their professional growth. Companies can also gain insights from industry leaders and learn how to build a future-ready workforce, enhance employee engagement through technology, and thrive in a BANI 9 business environment.
For more information on the festival, programme, speakers and participating companies, please visit https://careerfestival.ntuc.sg/.
Annex A on how the Virtual Career Coach tool enabled jobseekers to benefit from e2i’s comprehensive career guidance in their job search and career journeys.
• Case Study 1
Mark, (not his real name, and not available for further interviews), 25-years-old, a recent graduate in Sports Studies and Marketing from the Singapore Institute of Management, sought career coaching at e2i’s Career Centre. He was considering roles as a Community Development Manager or Event Manager. With guidance from his e2i career coach, Chee Seng, and through the assistance of the Virtual Career Coach (VCC), Mark was able to better:
1. Set Career Goals & Refine Skills: Through coaching, Mark clarified his career goals and aligned them with specific roles, while also refining his skills and highlighting key strengths for more targeted job recommendations.
2. Identify & Address Skill Gaps: Together, they identified both unlisted skills and areas for improvement, strengthening Mark’s resume and enhancing his career prospects.
3. Tailor Resume & Prepare for Interviews: Mark’s resume was customised based on his RIASEC 10 results, and he received tailored advice for tackling challenging interview scenarios.
4. Receive Tailored Recommendations: After the coaching session, the VCC also helped to provide Mark with relevant job and course recommendations to pursue.
5. Leverage the Career Pathfinder Matrix: The matrix helped Mark align his interests and skills with suitable career paths, ensuring a focused job search.
Using the VCC, Chee Seng was able to better assist Mark in his successfully transition from a fresh graduate to securing a rewarding role as a Community Development Manager.
• Case Study 2
John (not his real name, and not available for further interviews), a 48-year-old Senior IT Manager, was retrenched in April 2024 after a successful career in IT project management at multinational companies, where he led large-scale implementations and managed cross-country teams. Faced with health concerns, family caregiving responsibilities, and uncertainty about his next career move, John was open to exploring smaller roles or transitioning to corporate training or healthcare project management.
With support from VCC and his e2i career coach, Shirley, John was able to:
1. Target Job Search: the VCC assisted John in focusing on roles aligned with his skills and preferences, ensuring efficient job applications.
2. Upskill for Immediate Impact: through the VCC, Shirley recommended relevant certifications, enhancing John’s candidacy with updated skills.
While exploring options, John reconnected with a former IT director who had become a VP at a leading IT company. Following Shirley’s advice, John tailored his application to emphasise his leadership in IT implementations and commitment to upskilling. He highlighted his expertise in agile methodologies and adaptability in interviews. As a result, John secured a Senior IT Project Manager role in a growing organisation. This position offered a balance of leadership responsibilities and manageable hours, aligning with his family and health needs.
Annex B on NTUC Mentorship Ecosystem
(a) NTUC Executive Mentorship Programme by U PME
A three month long structured mentorship programme to provide career guidance and support career transition of professionals, managers and executives at different life stages.
(b) Women Supporting Women (WSW) Mentorship Programme by U WAF
The programme focuses on empowering women in various constituencies by offering them an opportunity to be mentored by women leaders. It allows women workers and jobseekers to focus on their professional development and personal growth over a six- month period.
(c) Youth Development Mentorship Programme by Young NTUC
The programme is targeted at graduate students and first job seekers to provide youths with the support and guidance needed to better navigate and plan their careers
1 Refer to paragraph 7 and 13.
2 2025 Survey on Economic Sentiments, Nov 2024 – Dec 2024, n=2,041 (employed resident workers, out of total sample size of 2,088 respondents)
3 Ministry of Manpower, Summary Table on Retrenchment https://stats.mom.gov.sg/Pages/Retrenchment- Summary-Table.aspx. Total retrenchment in the first three quarters of 2024 [N=9,350]. Total retrenchments in 2021 [N=8,010]; 2022 [N=6,440]; and 2023 [N=14,590]..
4 From February 2020 to November 2024
5 Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. The RIASEC Profiling Tool assists jobseekers in understanding their personality, strengths, and work values to help them identify suitable career options.
6 Source: Poll of Youths at Roving Youth Hub Exhibition (Jul 2022 – Feb 2023), n=2750 https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/news/NTUC-renews-its-Workers-Compact-Commits-to-helping-workers-at-all-life- stages/
7 Source: Youth Taskforce Online Survey, Respondent aged 17 – 25, n=2,294 https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/news/The-New-Gen-Worker-Youth-Taskforce-Report-YoungNTUC/
8 From March 2020 to November 2024
9 A term used to describe the environment as brittle, anxious, non-linear, and incomprehensible.
