BUILDING A STRONG SINGAPOREAN CORE IN NEW AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY

With the extension of the Jobs Support Scheme, and introduction of the Jobs Growth Incentive scheme, the Government will continue to help businesses retain their existing local workers and concurrently push for growing businesses to expand hiring. In this week’s Jobs Situation Report, we shared more information on job opportunities in growth areas like startups, to better guide jobseekers in their search.

I visited The Greenhouse @ SMU Connexion with Minister Chan Chun Sing, where we met a group of passionate and visionary entrepreneurs. The startup scene brims with potential, and is a source of job growth. In fact, more than 1,600 startups are already on board the #SGUnited Jobs and Skills programmes, offering more than 4,600 jobs and 860 traineeship/attachment opportunities. Besides the usual tech-roles such as software developers, there are also less conventional roles like gallery manager executive, commercial intelligence associate and animator.

A common misconception of the startup scene is that it is filled with young entrepreneurs. While many of the roles are entry-level, mid-career individuals with rich experience can still thrive in startups. I met one such example today – 60-year old Becky, who had worked in the shipping industry for four decades. She shared how she looked beyond the horizon, and applied for an opening as Shipping and Procurement Manager with Moovaz, despite being new to the startup scene. She was hired by Moovaz through the Professional Conversion Programme for Logistics Executive, which helped bridge her skill gaps.

Apart from new opportunities, the Jobs Situation Report also reflected that the volume of notifications from employers on cost-saving measures peaked during the Circuit Breaker, suggesting that companies had made concerted efforts to hold back retrenchments during that time. The notifications have since fallen significantly. These are challenging times, but the Government and our tripartite partners are committed to walk this journey with workers and businesses. - Jo Teo