18 October 2008
Media Release
1 In respond to the current economic downturn, the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) will continue to keep its momentum in ensuring that its programmes and initiatives reach out to women of all ages and all collars.
2 WDS urges women to be economically active, ensure they have employable skills and be financially savvy. With regards to helping women be savvy with their money, and as a follow-up to the launch of the MoneySENSE-CPF-NTUC collaboration to bring financial education to workers, WDS held its first Women’s $avvy Day under the Women’s $avvy Programme on Saturday, 18 October 2008.
3 The seminar, which saw some 330 women union members in attendance, focussed not only on financial planning but also on educating women on the need for them to have healthcare insurance. Women live longer than men so there is a real need to ensure that they have sufficient savings for their livelihood and medical needs.
4 WDS will continue to help women who are already working to stay in the workforce, and non-working women such as homemakers to enter or re-enter the workforce. Since the start of 2008, the NTUC’s Back-To-Work Women programme has helped more than 1,700 women return to the workforce.
5 Under this programme, WDS works with its partners WDA and employers, in order to reach out to homemakers through initiatives such as the 30 Minutes to Work, 3-in-1 Flexi Works Job Fair, and targeted recruitment drives with about 200 companies. But more can be done especially on the part of employers to make it possible for women to continue working or to re-enter the workforce.
6 WDS wants to encourage companies to implement part-time or flexi work arrangements so that these women can balance both work and family life. For this, companies can tap on the Flexi Works! fund to recruit new workers on part time and flexi-work arrangement. WDS is in the midst of renewing the Flexi-Works! Fund so that it can continue to encourage companies to tap on the fund to introduce part-time/flexi work opportunities.
7 Moving ahead, WDS wants to embark on giving women in the Singapore workforce opportunities to acquire new skills or upgrade their skills so that they can remain employable.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC
Director, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat
