7,500 jobs in healthcare sector to be created up to end-2021: MOH
There will also be 1,600 traineeships, attachments and training opportunities
As the Singapore labour market braces itself for more pay cuts and retrenchment exercises sparked by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday offered some welcome respite when it announced there will be about 7,500 jobs and 1,600 traineeships, attachments and skills training opportunities in the healthcare sector from now till the end of next year.
About a third of the jobs will be for healthcare professionals, including nurses and allied health professionals. These vacancies will be filled by fresh graduates from healthcare training programmes and mid-career entrants who graduate from the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs).
There are about 200 nursing and allied health PCP training places available each year, and MOH will be adding at least another 100 new places next year.
The remaining vacancies will be for various roles, including support care and administrative and ancillary roles, which would be suitable for job seekers from non-healthcare backgrounds.
In a press release yesterday, MOH said: "These vacancies and opportunities will help fulfil current and future expanding needs for healthcare services, given Singapore's ageing population."
And it's not just the country's increasing proportion of older people. Ms Hoa Peng Sum, manager and senior lecturer at the diploma of business in Temasek Polytechnic, said Singapore's healthcare market is expected to expand due to the quality of its medical services.
She said: "The demand is not just from within Singapore, but also from foreigners seeking medical treatment due to our good reputation in providing high quality medical services and our top-notch medical facilities.
"We need more healthcare professionals to manage the increasing needs and any unforeseen medical crisis such as another pandemic."
In May, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced a new $2 billion package called the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to create nearly 100,000 opportunities for workers affected by the Covid-19 economic slowdown.
It would include 40,000 jobs, 25,000 traineeships and 30,000 skills training opportunities.
The 1,600 traineeships, attachments and skills training opportunities announced by MOH yesterday will be provided under the SGUnited initiative, and will help people to acquire relevant working experience and skills needed in the sector.
Employers and trainees will receive funding support during the training period.
There will be around 300 traineeships and attachments, which last between four and nine months, for roles like patient service associates, dental surgery assistants and other administrative roles.
For the remaining 1,300 training opportunities, seven training providers - Institute of Technical Education, NTUC Learning Hub, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Science, HMI Institute of Health Sciences and Temasek Polytechnic - will offer classes starting progressively from this month.
Job seekers may access these opportunities through Workforce Singapore's MyCareersFuture job portal, and various job fairs and recruitment platforms.
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