Through the 92,000 opportunities created by the National Jobs Council (NJC) initiative, 24,000 jobseekers have been placed into a mix of long- and short-term roles.
With the 92,000 figure, the NJC inched closer to achieving the target of creating 100,000 job and training opportunities within the next year.
The numbers were released during the virtual press conference on the second quarter 2020 economic survey of Singapore on 11 August 2020.
The conference was chaired by Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing and Manpower Minister Josephine Teo.
As part of the 24,000 role-placements, 5,200 PMETs and 8,600 non-PMETs were placed into short-term jobs. Meanwhile, 4,600 PMETs and 5,200 non-PMETs placed into long-term jobs.
Mrs Teo said that although seven in 10 of the opportunities were curated for jobseekers at the PMET level, only 40 per cent of the 24,000 opportunities were taken up by PMETs.
“I think if you look at the difference, it shows that for matching of PMETs to be less straightforward, because employers are looking for a better match in terms of skills and experience, as well as wage expectations,” she explained.
On finding jobs during these uncertain times, Mrs Teo cited an example of 48-year-old jobseeker who took on a temporary role as a field surveyor. He was later promoted and had his contract extended because of good performance.
“We hope to encourage other job seekers, not to turn down, perhaps unfamiliar positions or even temporary positions because quite often they could lead to something more permanent and more in keeping with your skill sets,” said Mrs Teo.
Meanwhile, Singapore entered its worst economic recession in 55 years as the economy contracted by 13.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) released the figures during the press conference.
Experts earlier predicted that the economy would shrink by 12.6 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year.
The nation’s fall in GDP was attributed mainly to the circuit breaker measures implemented from 7 April to 1 June 2020 to slow the spread of COVID-19, as well as weak external demand amidst a global economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
The economy contracted 13.1 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted basis – which was 1.7 per cent higher than the 11.4 per cent seen during the second quarter of the SARS pandemic in 2003.
“The recovery is not likely to be smooth, and we can expect recurring waves of infection and disruption,” said Mr Chan.
Mr Chan emphasised the need to chart a new direction for Singapore’s economy, stressing that the downturn is different from previous global recessions where experts could foresee an improvement in the economy.
Mr Chan said: “We must chart a new direction now, for a very different and uncertain future … As we move into unchartered waters, we must work together with our people to help them understand the need for changes and to implement them smoothly.
“We will involve the unions, the employers and the trade associations. We will visit companies in various sectors, work with the unions and associations, discuss with them the changes, and chart the way forward together to get us through this crisis.”
