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SINGAPORE: Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has outlined the role that a new high-level council will play in the country's national effort to boost skills and productivity.
DPM Teo, who is also Defence Minister, will chair the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council.
The new council has its work cut out, as MP after MP raised a string of concerns over what this renewed push for productivity will mean to workers.
Christopher De Souza, Member of Parliament (MP) for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, said: "I am concerned about driving automation too furiously through technology or software. My key concern is this may lead to lower manpower requirements and consequently, fewer jobs for Singaporeans. We should guard against this."
Halimah Yacob, MP for Jurong GRC said: "We cannot have a superior workforce contributing to an outstanding performance if we have poor or incompetent managers, incapable of leading their workers towards higher productivity except through threats and wielding the stick."
Denise Phua, MP for Jalan Besar GRC, asked: "Will the new national council be simply old wine in new wine skin? I was told that old wine when stored in new wine skin will lead to the bottle cracking and the wine spilling".
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said that while the objective of productivity growth is the same, the means to achieve it will change because the competitive environment has changed.
"We are now a more developed economy - further up the productivity curve," he said. "We have made progress, but those ahead of us have also progressed and moved up as well. And those behind us have made rapid advances and are catching up with us.”
He also gave his assurance about the people he will have on board to craft the strategies.
"It will be an inclusive one reflecting the comprehensive nature of the productivity drive," said Mr Teo. "This will allow us to tap the knowledge and energy of all the partners in this effort."
Mr Teo will announce the composition of the council at a later date. It will comprise private sector representatives across a range of industries, big and small companies, both local and foreign.
There will also be representatives from the unions who are key partners in this effort. It will include Ministers and Ministers of State in charge of the key government ministries and agencies involved in this effort.
The new council will focus on two main areas: first, drive efforts to raise productivity at the individual, enterprise and sector-level; and second, oversee efforts to develop a world-class national Continuing Education and Training (CET) system, and entrench a culture of continuous learning.
However, Mr Teo stressed that Singaporeans must be on the same page, and understand what productivity means in today's context.
"There are many factors working together to determine productivity," he said. "These include the quality of the systems, processes, technology, organisation, management practices and workforce found within enterprises, the attractiveness of their products and services to their markets, and also the structure of their sector and the economy as a whole.
"Even as we focus on productivity, we need to keep in mind that we should not pursue productivity as an end in itself. We are pursuing productivity to raise value-added per worker, because this ultimately determines whether our workers can receive higher wages.
"Higher productivity enables us to generate the additional value that can be shared between companies and workers, provide good jobs and higher incomes for workers, and generate higher profits for companies. Ultimately, productivity is the basis for our future economic competitiveness."
Mr Teo urged enterprises to take the lead, and said the council's approach is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Hence, there will be customised strategies for specific industries.
"The Council will focus on selected sectors that employ a significant proportion of the workforce and have the most potential for productivity improvements," DPM Teo said.
"This is to ensure that our efforts make the greatest impact at the outset. These include the construction, retail, food and beverage, hospitality, transport and logistics, general manufacturing, precision engineering and business services industries."
To ensure broad-based and sustained improvements in productivity, Mr Teo also stressed the importance of nurturing a culture of productivity among Singaporeans.
The council will develop new focus areas of growth for the Continuing Education and Training system that will cut across all levels, including training for older workers and even executives.
"Training must be a way of life, not a burden nor an imposition," DPM Teo said. "Lifelong learning is the means to an end, and that is to add value. The ability to add value will bring about better employability and better income for workers."
This will be a long haul effort for the country, as Mr Teo pointed out that results will not be immediate.
However, he said Singapore needs to press on as this new growth strategy is aimed at building a resilient economy for the long-term good of workers.
- CNA/yb
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