The Government’s feedback unit REACH and NTUC held a dialogue for some 130 professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) on 2 March 2017 to discuss Budget 2017.
Joining in the dialogue were NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Patrick Tay.
Dialogue Format
Moving away from the usual question and answer format, the dialogue participants were divided into different groups to discuss three propositions.
Participants talked about how individuals, companies and the Government should respond to the challenges both globally and at home, and how Budget 2017 is being steered in that direction.
Responses
SG Chan said he was very encouraged by the “matured responses” from the participants as it gave him the confidence that Singaporeans are aware of the challenges at stake.
“From the individual perspective, they are most concerned as to how to keep themselves relevant and competitive as a workforce, and how do they upgrade themselves with competencies to strengthen their marketability and competitiveness”, said SG Chan.
ASG Patrick Tay added: “The participants are very aware of the challenges that we are facing in the longer term, in the next five to ten years, what we call the mismatch of skills, expectations and jobs. They are very aware of how to grab the future opportunities, stay relevant and adaptable, and stay ready with the new skills.”
When it came to how companies need to respond, SG Chan noted that the participants talked about the need to evolve business models.
“They need to explore new markets and embrace new technologies in order to create jobs and manage their cost structure to stay competitive,” said SG Chan.
Lastly, on the Government’s response to the challenges, participants emphasised the need for them to prioritise their areas of expenditure in order to ensure they spend within their means.
Source: NTUC This Week
