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Gen Y hardest to work with

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Workers of other generations cite attitude problems of Gen Y, such as being arrogant, impatient or abrupt, as a common reason why they find working with Gen Y difficult, according to the study by training, coaching and consultancy organisation Digne Consult Asia Pacific.

On the other hand, Gen Y employees may generally have fewer difficulties working with older colleagues because they can adapt to change and are flexible working with older generations, said Mr Frank Kuijsters, Digne Consult's director.

But Gen Y may not take as well to baby boomers because the latter resemble their parents, he added.

The firm polled 3,500 employees, from last October to this January, to understand inter- generational issues here.

The study was commissioned by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep), whose members comprise unions, the Government and employers.

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Whistle-blowing hotline launched

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:18:00 +0000

Report a misconduct and risk losing your job, feign ignorance and allow your conscience to be pricked - these are common dilemmas employees face when they come to know of unethical behaviour among their colleagues.

Without a confidential feedback channel, workers may turn to the media and the company may incur huge financial and reputation losses from the bad publicity generated.

To solve this problem, a whistle-blowing hotline was launched on Tuesday by Singapore firm Q2 Consulting Partner and United States' Global Compliance for employees to file allegations against their own company.

They can either choose to disclose the content anonymously or non-anonymously and investigations will then be made to verify the case.

According to a Global Compliance spokesperson, 40 Singapore firms have already signed up for this service.

Businesses providing whistle-blowing services have become more popular since 2006, after the slew of corporate and charity scandals in Singapore.

Local auditing firms such as Deloitte Singapore said more companies are taking up whistle-blowing services whereby staff can feedback through hotlines, emails and SMSes.

Similarly, employees can choose to remain anonymous.

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Agencies predict increased demand for contract work in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:22:00 +0000

Employment agencies are expecting hiring plans to improve in 2010. But industry experts say contract work will continue its upward trend.

This is on top of various permanent positions being made available as companies attempt to boost their workforce.

Kelly Services has been receiving more calls from employers who want to engage contract workers. The recruitment agency says it has seen a 15 to 20 percent increase in demand in recent months.

It expects the figure to stay healthy in the first quarter of next year.

Dhirendra Shantilal, senior vice-president at Kelly Services, says: "This whole global crisis has also helped companies to realise that they need to have a balance between their permanent workforce and a contract workforce. As a result of that, we're seeing a lot more companies coming to us for more contract work."

Demand for contract employment exists in all industries, especially in the financial, retail and hospitality sectors.

HR consultants say companies are still cautious and are relying on contract work due to the uncertainties in the economic recovery.

For job seekers, that means having to be flexible about accepting work on contract terms.

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Linking growth with entrepreneurship

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:15:00 +0000

A shrinking economy may spur more people to start a business out of necessity, but expectations of a better economic climate for Singapore do not necessarily point to less entrepreneurship, according to experts on the subject.

This is because the dynamics contributing to a country's entrepreneurship level are complex, and so the school of thought that entrepreneurial activity increases when the economy is not doing well may not hold.

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42,000 unemployed find jobs through Spur

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:16:00 +0000

THE report card for the Singapore Workforce Development Agency's (WDA) Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) is out.

The programme has trained more people than it aimed to, found jobs for many trainees who were unemployed, and saved countless others from being retrenched.

Started in November last year, the programme has enrolled 264,000 workers in its various training courses, exceeding the target of 220,000.

The programme also helped about 42,000 of them - unemployed citizens and permanent residents - find jobs, mainly in the food-and-beverage, cleaning, wholesale and retail-trade, manufacturing, and security sectors.

About seven in 10 were rank-and-file workers with up to secondary education. Six in 10 were aged 40 and above.

In addition, more than 2,770 others were given traineeships in more than 390 firms, under a government-funded Professional Skills Programme Traineeship scheme launched in May this year.

The jobless workers had been among 88,000 workers who had approached the WDA of their own accord. Others were employed but looking to acquire new skills for a career switch.

The rest - 169,000 workers who made up two thirds of the whole pool - were sent by 4,000 companies, which tapped Spur to cut costs, save jobs, and help displaced workers gain new skills and jobs.

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China firms try to lure talent home

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:19:00 +0000

THE battle for talent has come to Singapore, with 18 China companies teaming up to hold a first-ever job fair here to lure China-born professionals to return home to work.

Among them were heavy-hitters such as the Bank of Shanghai and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, offering 117 high-level positions that pay up to $250,000 a year plus perks, including housing allowance.

The jobs offered by the companies from Shanghai were in fields such as risk assessment and wealth management. Many required at least a master's degree.

About 1,000 people were at Suntec City recently for the fair, which was the third stop by the companies in their global search for talent.

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2.6% pay increase likely

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:58:00 +0000

EVIDENCE is growing that Singapore workers can look forward to modestly fatter salaries next year and that the job situation here is improving.

A survey out last Friday from global human resources firm Hewitt Associates showed that employers in Singapore are poised to raise pay by 2.6 per cent next year.

In addition, most companies polled do not expect to freeze salaries next year - down from a high of 60.3 per cent this year, to just 12.8 per cent expected next year.

Mr Samir Bedi, Hewitt's South-east Asia performance practice leader, said: 'The compensation sentiment is more positive with organisations ready to take on 2010 with a fresh, energised outlook to manage talent.'

Hewitt's Singapore Salary Increase Survey polled 153 firms in July and August this year. Its findings came a day after human resource firm ECA International released a survey which showed employees here can expect a 3 per cent pay rise next year.

ECA also found 11 per cent of 99 firms polled here are proposing salary freezes next year, down from this year's 39 per cent.

Developing countries in Asia see highest salary increases

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:58:00 +0000

Employees in Singapore can expect salary increases of 3% in 2010, up from this year’s 2% average, according to ECA International’s latest Salary Trends Survey. In Asia, salary increase forecasts remain highest in the growth areas of China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Salary increases within the region are predicted to average at 5% in 2010, almost twice as high as this year’s actual 2.8% average, and significantly higher than the average 2010 forecasts for Western Europe (2.6%) and North America (2.8%).

Results from the survey indicate that like their Singapore counterparts, employees in Hong Kong and Taiwan can also expect salary increases of 3% in 2010, compared with this year’s actual 1% and 0.5% increases respectively. Chinese employees are likely to see their salary increases rise from 3% to 6% at the next pay review.

The largest salary increases within the region are forecast for Vietnam (10%), India (9.3%) and Indonesia (8.5%), continuing a trend that persisted even during the economic turbulence of the last 12 months.

Employees in Japan are predicted to receive 2% salary increases – the lowest in the region. Whilst employees in Australia and New Zealand can expect to see an increase on the 2% awarded this year with companies there forecasting 3.5% and 3% rises respectively for 2010.

According to Lee Quane, ECA International’s regional director for Asia, while these numbers have not reached the levels of the boom years, the figures indicate that companies operating within the region are much more confident about economic conditions than a year ago.

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Gradual economic pickup expected for Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:35:00 +0000

The Singapore economy is likely to settle at a more gradual pace of expansion, with GDP growth in 2010 expected to be lower than in previous post-recession periods.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in its Macroeconomics Review released on Thursday that compared to six months ago, the outlook for the second half of 2009 and for 2010 is "markedly more optimistic".

However, the MAS also sounded a word of caution in its report which is published twice a year.

"As we approach 2010, GDP growth will likely shift to a more sustainable trajectory, underpinned by a modest turnaround in final demand in Singapore's key external markets," it said.

It said concerns remain about the resilience of global demand, given the lingering weakness in the financial sectors and labour markets of developed economies.

Among Singapore's major trading partners, those that are expected to grow below their long-term trends next year account for nearly half of the island's total exports. The MAS said this points to domestic growth that is likely to be lower compared to previous post-recession periods.

It added that while Singapore's recovery from the downturn may become more broad-based, job creation could, nonetheless, be modest in 2010 as the relatively small job losses resulting from this downturn means that firms may be carrying surplus labour.

External factors will also continue to influence the cost of living in Singapore, with the MAS expecting inflation to come in at around 0 per cent in 2009, before rising to 1-2 per cent in 2010.

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Fresh grads have it tough

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:21:00 +0000

FRESH university graduates will face a tougher search for jobs and lower starting pay this year due to a hiring freeze and retrenchments brought about by the economic downturn.

Although some students have been getting job offers as early as seven months before graduation, the overall mood is downbeat.

While all three local universities - the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) - have yet to compile official employment statistics for the class of 2009, they are already preparing their students for the grim prospects.

'These are indeed challenging times, with fewer job opportunities for fresh graduates than in previous years,' said Mrs Ruth Chiang, director of career services at SMU. 'We have advised our graduates to be more realistic in their expectations and cast their nets wider.'

OCBC staff get mobile with the new iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:20:00 +0000

Singapore - OCBC employees will now be able to telecommute more easily with access their corporate emails through the iPhone 3G, all paid for on the company's dime. This is the first of such corporate plans in Singapore's banking industry that revolve around the iPhone 3G.

Having access to real-time information on the go is becoming increasingly important, says Peter Koh who is head of technology infrastructure, group operations & technology of OCBC Bank. And with the iPhone's rising popularity, Koh says the bank thought it would be a good idea to leverage it as an office email device as well.

Doing so would also allow employees who already own other web mobile devices to merge into one singular device for their voice calling, web browsing and corporate email use.

Under the initiative, employees in the bank's Singapore, Malaysia, China and overseas branches will have to pay for the device and cost of the voice plan. However, the company will pick up the cost of the data plan, which is directly routed to the bank. Through this, employees will be able access their office email and sync their contacts, notes and calendar and carry out online banking transactions while on the move.

"Our employees can continue to enjoy the features and contents available on their iPhone without the need to carry another device in order to access office email," says Koh.

Furthermore, Koh says this is a win-win initiative for the bank and employees, as "the iPhone's subscription charges are lower than that for the BlackBerrry (by more than 50%)".

While Koh says the idea of using the iPhone for office emails was first brought up before the device was launched in Singapore, the company had to check its feasibility and compatibility with the office email systems to ensure data security. So far, Koh says the bank has received positive interest from employees and has received three application submissions within the first week of its launch.

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Handle employees under 35 with care

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:18:00 +0000

A boss who doesn't treat employees under 35 the way the organisation had initially promised them during job interviews will cause high staff turnover among that age group.

Dr. David S. Cohen, founder of human resources development firm Strategic Action Group, says these are "bad" managers who would give candidates "false hope" during the interview process by mismanaging their expectations. Things will get ugly when Gen Y candidates take on the job and they realise their expectations are not met. "People are going to be upset, disappointed and angry," he says. "If you are under 35, you'll definitely leave because you have confidence, you know you are going to be employed even in this economy downturn."

Hence, Gen Y employees do not quit because they don't like the company or they want more money, says Cohen. Gen Y employees will most likely jump ship to another job which pays less if they dislike their current managers. "They leave managers who didn't treat them the way they expect to be treated." He adds, "If you are unhappy at the company you are at, you will take a job for 10% less at somewhere else to be happy."

For Gen Y, money is simply not an issue, says Cohen, as long as they feel they are paid fairly. Then again, this principle applies to most of the generations in the workplace. "The reality is most people would not move their jobs even for 10% more if they are being treated right because it's better to be at the company you like and enjoy working at."

This is much preferable than taking a risk to join a new company which one is unfamiliar with and might not enjoy working at. Nevertheless, Cohen says employee retention is also dependent on the individual's career goals. "If the value proposition for the employee is development and development is taken out of the budget, they are going to go to another company for less money but which is offering development."

2 in 5 companies foresaw need to cut wages in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:30:00 +0000

According to findings published by the Ministry of Manpower, two in five private establishments foresaw the need to cut wages in 2009 if conditions worsen. This was during the period in December 2008 when Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the quarter contracted over the year by 4.2%.

Meanwhile, companies with a Monthly Variable Component (MVC) in their wage structure were more confident of gaining their employees' acceptance of a wage cut, if it has to be implemented compared with establishments without MVC.

These were published in the 320-page 'Report on Wages in Singapore, 2008' published by the Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department.

Other key findings of the report include the following:

Only a small minority (1.7%) of private establishments with MVC in their wage structure cut the component in 2008, as economic conditions deteriorated sharply only from the last quarter of 2008 when GDP contracted over the year by 4.2%.
The top two common measures of wage cut are cutting the annual variable component (74% of establishments) and basic wage (47%), followed by MVC (15%) as the latter was weighed down by establishments without MVC.
As of December 2008, 84% of the workforce in the private sector was under some form of flexible wage system, same as a year ago. Large establishments (employing 200 or more employees) continued to lead in the implementation, with the vast majority (90%) of their workforce having at least one key wage recommendation in their wage system, compared with 75% in small and medium enterprises.
With the economic downturn and increased business costs in 2008, employers were more restrained in granting salary increases.
Occupations requiring higher skills and knowledge continued to command higher wages. In June 2008, the median monthly gross wages was the highest for managers ($6,400), followed by professionals ($4,405) and associate professionals & technicians ($3,000). Clerical ($1,960) and sales & service workers ($1,849) were paid close to $2,000. Among blue-collar occupations, the production craftsmen ($2,137) and plant & machine operators ($2,009) were paid much more than the group of cleaners, labourers & related workers ($975).
Wages are generally observed to rise with age as workers gain experience and skills and become more productive over the years. The pace of wage increase with age is more pronounced among managers and professionals as their work is generally more knowledge intensive.

Companies in Asia ramping up workforce amid economic downturn

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Companies in Asia are ramping up their workforce planning activities in response to the current economic downturn, according to a survey by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

The survey, released Wednesday, showed that more than seven out of every 10 companies in the region believe that workforce planning has become more important amid the current economic slowdown.

In fact, more than half have already begun to increase such activities within their organisations.

Workforce planning is the process by which an organisation aligns its workforce requirements to the business strategy using business analytics.

Although such planning is growing in importance, 60 per cent of those surveyed do not have a structured approach to workforce planning.

Instead, their attention is focused on immediate concerns like filling job vacancies, rather than longer term strategic issues relating to their workforce.

Asia Pacific Director of Watson Wyatt's Human Capital Group Russell Huntington said companies need to focus on longer term plans and review the capabilities needed in light of the current adverse business conditions.

He added that reducing employee costs cannot just be a numbers game, but should be a well thought-through, data-driven strategic exercise.

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12,760 jobs lost in Q1

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:25:00 +0000

TOTAL of 12,760 jobs were lost in the first quarter, government data showed on Monday, pushing Singapore's overall unemployment rate to a three-year high of 3.3 per cent.

The total employment fell by 6,200, the first quarterly contraction in nearly six years as the number of workers hired was lower than the number of workers who left their jobs. This was in line with the slowing economy, said the Ministry of Manpower in a statement on Monday.

Some 10,900 workers were retrenched, while another 1,860 had their contracts terminated prematurely, 36 per cent more than the 9,410 laid off in the last quarter of 2008.

Most of the cuts came from the manufacturing industry, which accounted for 72 per cent of the workers laid off, up from 55 per cent in December.

Cuts in the services and construction industry, however, were lower than the fourth quarter of 2008, falling from 40 per cent and 4.1 per cent to 25 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively.

A total of 95,700 residents were unemployed in March, said MOM.

The number of people re-employed also fell, with only 51 per cent of those retrenched in Q4 2008 re-employed by March 2009, compared to 70 per cent in Dec 2008 and 67 per cent in March 2008.

Job vacancies fell for the third consecutive quarter to 21,000, down 20 per cent from December 2008 and 45 per cent from a year ago.

Singapore civil servants ranked most efficient in Asia: survey

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:50:00 +0000

A business survey on 12 Asian cities found that civil servants in Singapore are the most efficient.

The survey, conducted by Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), also found that Singaporean bureaucrats are unhelpful when things go wrong.

It is the third time Singapore took top spot in the survey, last conducted in 2007.

Hong Kong came in second, followed by Thailand, and India was last.

Over 1,200 expatriates working in these 12 Asian cities took part in the survey. - CNA /ls

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Executive recruitment hit hard by recession | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Executive searches worldwide have fallen 35% in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year, according to a report by Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

The Q1 State of the Executive Search Industry Report polled over 1,500 executive search consultants in 46 countries and found that executive searches in the financial services industry suffered the hardest blow, with a 41% yearly drop in the first quarter of 2009.The industrial sector fell 27% year-on-year, while the healthcare sector showed the least decline with a 21% drop compared to the first quarter of 2008.

Peter Felix, president of AESC, feels the findings show that no region, industry or function has been unaffected. "Top management have been caught in the headlights of overwhelming uncertainty and have acted more to protect assets and reduce costs than to plan for the future. It is thus no surprise that the worldwide executive search profession has been affected.”

The fall in executive recruitment streams from financial trends emerging as a result of the economic downturn. Average net revenues fell by 38% in the first quarter of 2009, compared to the same period the previous year. The average fee per executive search assignment also declined 12% from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009.

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More degree courses to be offered in polytechnics | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:51:00 +0000

A major transformation of Singapore's tertiary education sector is on the cards.

The world's leading science and engineering university, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will partner Singapore's Education Ministry to run the country's fourth university. And more polytechnic students will be able to obtain degrees in Singapore.

In the past, polytechnic students who wanted a degree in optometry had to go overseas.

Now, they can apply for a place in the University of Manchester, which is partnering Singapore Polytechnic to offer its degree programme here.

Tan Hang Cheong, Principal, Singapore Polytechnic, said: “The core lectures and so on will be (taught) by University of Manchester academic staff. Singapore Polytechnic staff will help support some of the teaching, especially in the clinical areas.

"We're also very fortunate to have Tan Tock Seng's Eye Institute help us in this... many of the optomologists will be helping us to do some technical training.”

Lek Xuan, Undergraduate, Optometry Degree Programme, said: “If I go overseas it will cost about S$30,000. In Singapore, it costs only about S$7000 a year.”

There are currently six different degree programmes being offered by all the polytechnics in Singapore. Besides optometry, the other degree programmes are in areas such as naval architecture, early childhood education, and food technologies. All these courses have a high practical component and are heavily subsidised.

Another six to eight reputable foreign universities are likely to offer degree programmes in local polytechnics by 2015.

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Starbucks recruits Twitter followers for new campaign | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Starbucks is hoping to harness the power of social media with a new ad campaign aimed at creating an online conversation between younger coffee drinkers.

Rolling out in newspapers, magazines and billboards in the US this week, the BBDO North America led campaign is understood to be Starbucks largest to date.

Outdoor activity encourages Starbucks' Twitter followers and Facebook fans to take pictures of the company's new billboards and be first to post them online. However, it was not revealed whether a reward would be offered.

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MCYS committed to supporting Singaporeans through trying times | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:46:00 +0000

Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has committed his ministry to supporting Singaporeans through these trying times.

In an addendum to the President's Address delivered at the opening of Parliament on Monday, Dr Balakrishnan said the ministry will exercise greater flexibility to help those at the margins.

At-risk families will be identified early, so that they will be brought under intensive case management.

And even as public donations decline in a tough economic climate, the caseloads of voluntary welfare organisations rise. The ministry has increased funding and provided a contingency fund to support these groups, as well as encouraged training for professionals in this sector.

In times of adversity, the ministry is also watching out against fault lines of nationality, ethnicity and religion.

That is why a National Integration Council has been set up to promote mutual trust across communities, especially amongst new citizens.

Dr Balakrishnan is also counting on sports to rally the nation, and looks ahead to next year's Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010.

The Singapore Youth Sports Development Committee will provide more opportunities for youths to play and compete in sports, and the ministry will leverage on the excitement from YOG to promote youth volunteerism.

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MOM focuses attention on developing globally competitive workforce | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Singapore said measures like the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) are efforts not just for the downturn but to also ensure the Republic remains competitive in the long-run.

The Manpower Ministry highlighted its plans in conjunction with the President's address to Parliament.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said a key priority in the next two years is addressing the downturn.

Up to April this year, 94,000 workers and 1,400 companies have committed to training programmes under SPUR.

Me Gan said: "SPUR will encourage companies to save jobs but it is not intended to stop companies totally from retrenchment. Some restructuring is necessary for companies to better position themselves so that they are able to cope with the downturn and emerge from the recession stronger and more competitive."

While SPUR is for a two year period, the Manpower Ministry hopes that Singaporeans will continue to cultivate the attitude of lifelong learning and develop a learning culture even after the economy recovers and the recession is over.

To achieve this, the ministry said it will continue to strengthen the system of Continuing Education and Training (CET). This will be done by expanding the CET infrastructure and recognising the qualifications by employers and workers.

There are now more than 40 CET centres in Singapore. Mr Gan also urged all to be prepared for a second wave of retrenchments, one reason for the release of new tripartite guidelines to manage excess manpower in companies.

He said: "Once we are prepared, whether it comes in the second, third or fourth quarter, it doesn't really matter because we are already prepared. The companies are ready, tighten, strengthen, our workers are already ready. That is the most important task ahead of us."

Moving ahead, the ministry said low wage workers will continue to be helped through Workfare, to ensure they too benefit from the country's progress. - CNA/vm

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Augmented Reality for Marketing Brand / Products | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:15:00 +0000

In early 2009, H1Studio, Singapore, started research and innovation in Augmented Reality via Flash platform utilising the Flartoolkit SDK. At the same time, it is conducting R&I for AR via Mobile phones (Symbian and Windows Mobile). This is done via licensing of SDK from R&D centres in Europe and USA.

With the recent popularity of Augmented Reality applications such as Tonchidot’s Sekai Camera, GE’s SmartGrid and Mini Cooper’s Print Ad for Augmented Reality , we are now expanding our suite of services to include this, for Brands / Products / Services,

From Wikipedia - Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time.

AR can be used in Advertising and Promotions / Marketing of a new product offering, allowing users to interact with the product replicated in 3D, in real-time, overlaid on the real video capture. It is a natural progression for the studio to offer such services due to experiences in 3D, interactive and mobile applications.

To try it out, visit http://ar.h1studio.com.

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Survey shows S'poreans would take 42% pay cut | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:35:00 +0000

If they lost their jobs, Singaporeans on average think they would be able to cope without their main source of income for eight and a half months.

In survey findings that the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) hopes will guide the future calibration of social support for retrenched individuals, it was noted that younger people and the lower-income would be less resilient. For instance, there were more in their 20s and 30s, than in the older age groups, who would be able to cope for only up to six months.

Eight in 10 respondents would rely mainly on their personal savings.

But while just 31 per cent would step out of their comfort zone to take on any job, tellingly, respondents were on average willing to take a hefty 42-per-cent pay-cut in their next job, should they lose their current one (though the pain threshold for lower-income respondents was far lower at 34 per cent).

Very few people (5 to 7 per cent) would turn to the Government or welfare agencies for help; more (28 per cent) prefer the support of friends and family.

These findings, gathered from 817 Singaporeans and Permanent residents in mid-February, showed that Singapore residents were on the whole a fairly resilient lot, said IPS senior research fellow Gillian Koh. The study is the first of a series to study the perceptions of policies in Singapore.

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New Measures to Develop Manpower Capabilities in this Economic Downturn | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:45:00 +0000

The Ministry of Manpower is introducing new measures under SPUR (Skiils Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) to further develop Singapore's manpower capabilities and provide greater support for companies and workers, especially Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs), affected by the downturn. They are:

a) Increase in Absentee Payroll to better support training for PMETs - Annex A;

b) SPUR-JOBS to encourage recruitment and retention of trainees of SPUR and other WDA CET programmes - Annex B; and

c) Professional Skills Programme Traineeships (PSPT) scheme for companies to build new capabilities in growth sectors - Annex C.

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Budget's focus on jobs paying off | Jorbb.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jorbb) — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:35:00 +0000

THE decision to focus this year's Budget on saving jobs was the right move as its key planks have helped temper job losses and cut the cost burden on employers.

And while the Government's emphasis going ahead will remain focused on saving jobs, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday said workers and union leaders must continue to play their part.

Speaking at the annual May Day Rally, he outlined how the Government had and would continue to help on the jobs front.

One approach has been through the Jobs Credit scheme which subsidises a company's wage bill for local workers; and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience which pays part of workers' wages while they are on training.

A second has been to go on the offensive and create new jobs and capabilities.
The Integrated Resorts, for example, are already recruiting workers.

Also, the Economic Development Board (EDB) has brought in new projects and got existing companies to expand.

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