Addressing more than 180 participants at the recent REACH public forum on economy and jobs on 14 October 2016, NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing described Singaporeans as very practical people.
He shared that with the knowledge of the challenges and opportunities in the economy, Singaporeans will avail themselves to training resources to ensure their future readiness.
The focus for the Labour Movement then, shared SG Chan, goes beyond making sure that today’s workers are ready for today’s jobs to helping them be ready for tomorrow’s jobs.
Future Areas Of Growth
Statistics from the Ministry of Trade and Industry released on the same day revealed Singapore’s economic growth to be 0.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2016, pointing to a variegated economic landscape. Some sectors may be affected by both cyclical and structural changes brought about by new technology and new business models while others will see growth in new businesses and job opportunities.
Amongst the bright spots, the information and communications technology (ICT) sector has been identified as a frontrunner for growth with statistics from the Ministry of Communications and Information pointing to some 30,000 new opportunities come 2020.
To help jobseekers and existing ICT professionals like Irwin Soo leverage the available opportunities and build better careers in the sector, NTUC and its tripartite partners have come together to offer programmes such as the TeSA Integrated Career Services.
The healthcare sector continues to be an area of sustained growth, especially with the planned increase of healthcare services. In the manpower plan announced on 20 October 2016, the Ministry of Health estimated that 20,000 more healthcare workers will be needed by 2020 to meet the demands of Singapore’s ageing population.
In the meantime, healthcare organisations like Mount Elizabeth Hospital are boosting their productivity to not only cope with the manpower shortage but also to make workers more efficient in their jobs.
Early childhood too has surfaced as an industry poised to grow along with increasing demand for such services. In its manpower plan released on 1 October 2016, the Early Childhood Development
