Singapore's positive employment outlook is a good time for the tripartite partners to press on with efforts to tackle several employment challenges, says NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say in his May Day message.

Singapore's workers are celebrating May Day amidst healthy economic growth and strong job creation, says the labour chief.

Even then, there are challenges facing the tripartite partners - from cheap sourcing of low wage and unskilled workers, re-employing mature and retired workers to re-deploying workers to new growth areas.

So the labour movement has set its sights on working hand in hand with the government and the business community to ensure there is better employment for all Singaporeans as the country rides the current wave of strong job growth.

Mr Lim says: "(These involve) helping low-wage workers to earn more decent wages through job re-creation, through skill re-development, helping matured workers to extend their employment through re-employment. In the case of the PMETs, help them to convert their skill sets so that they can move to the new growth sector.

"So in this way, as we continue to create more employment in Singapore as we continue to nurture the new growth sector in Singapore. We hope that all Singaporeans, regardless of their ages, whether they're young, whether they're old, regardless of their wage level, whether they are high-wage workers or low-wage workers...enjoy better employment in the future."

Mr Lim adds that another challenge is to do much more to improve employment rates of Singaporeans across the board, with special attention being paid to the elderly and women.

He says: "So in fact, what we intend to do, is to try to encourage the workplace to become more family-friendly, to encourage the workplace to become more age-friendly so that older Singaporeans as well as the housewives can find it easier for them to re-enter the job market.

"This could mean more flexible work arrangements. This could mean more family-friendly work arrangements, more elderly-friendly work conditions. But we believe that by doing so, we'll be able to continue to create more opportunities for everyone, including the housewives to take on employment, flexible employment."

In his message, NTUC President John De Payva says the labour movement's membership now stands close to half a million and is growing.

And the key target now is for everyone to join hands to implement the plans in the Labour Movement 2011 vision which aims to make the movement relevant to all types of workers, regardless of nationality or age. - CNA/ch