Over 46,000 workers matched to new jobs by NTUC's e2i since pandemic hit Singapore

More than 46,000 workers have secured new jobs with the help of the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Singapore two years ago.

These workers were placed in new jobs from February 2020 to December last year. It comes after the NTUC's Job Security Council was set up to help displaced workers or those at risk of losing their jobs move to new roles or secure temporary secondments.

This is not an easy task, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said on Monday (Feb 7).

"It is a consistent hard slog to do the best to match workers back to jobs."

About 140 companies - including at the sectoral level - have completed roadmaps that help them allocate resources to technologies to meet business needs, NTUC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 811 company training committees, which identify skills that workers need to keep up with industry transformation and curate relevant training for them, have been set up to date, it added.

NTUC will continue to push for better jobs and wages through training and business transformation, highlighted Mr Ng, who is the secretary-general.

"NTUC wants to step in to see how we can also upgrade (workers') skills, so that they can be prepared to seize new opportunities and go for even better work prospects."

This is one of its priorities for this year, as Singapore recovers from the pandemic.

NTUC has been working with tripartite partners to explore how workers across large and small enterprises in the same sector can benefit from transformation efforts.

This includes establishing tripartite academies in growth sectors and those affected by the pandemic. The academies can be run by operators with the resources to bridge skill gaps and improve job matching results.

For instance, NTUC has started discussions with e2i, Singapore Tourism Board and various hospitality and consumer business unions to pilot a career hub for the hard-hit tourism sector. It will offer skills training and facilitate job matching, among other tasks.

Growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, retail and security have also been identified for this initiative.

In addition, NTUC will build on existing academies that helped workers keep pace with new industry developments, such as the Singapore Bus Academy which offers enhanced training for bus captains.

NTUC is also looking represent and protect various segments of workers, including lower wage workers, self-employed persons, youth, women and seniors, said Mr Ng.

For lower wage workers, it will continue work closely with tripartite partners to expand the Progressive Wage Model to more sectors and occupations. This would ensure that "our lower wage workers' wage growth keep up with cost of living and their income growth continue to keep pace with median wage growth", said NTUC.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also amplified the work issues faced by self-employed platform workers. NTUC said it will continue to look at areas such as pushing for better working terms and conditions, and boosting medical coverage for such workers.

Other workers that it will be focusing on this year include women who wish to return to the workforce. It has been engaging companies to redesign job roles and adopt family-friendly practices, such as flexible work arrangements.

Older workers will also continue to be on NTUC's radar.

"With our economy showing signs of recovery, NTUC will work closely with tripartite partners on implementing the next steps, with clear timeline, on raising of the statutory retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70, as well as increases to Central Provident Fund contributions so that it will stop tapering down until the age of 60, by 2030," said NTUC, adding that older workers will also get help to reskill and take on new jobs in the digital economy.

For local professionals, managers and executives (PMEs), particularly those in their 40s and 60s, NTUC will work with partners to champion fair workplace opportunities and strengthen the Employment pass framework in their favour.

Livelihoods remain the core concern of workers here, with cost of living being a major worry, said Mr Ng.

This year, NTUC's group of social enterprises will continue to implement measures to cushion the impact of rising costs.

For instance, FairPrice had earlier announced the continuation of discount schemes for seniors and low-income families at all its stores till the end of this year. This extension will result in more than $65 million worth of savings for customers since its start in 2015.

The FairPrice group will soon announce initiatives to help workers and their families to cope with rising living costs, said Mr Ng. "We can only do our very best, because there are real business cost increases."