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SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is embarking on two strategies to help companies and workers deal with the economic downturn and invest in skills upgrading.
Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said a tripartite taskforce will be set up to help companies reduce manpower costs and help those retrenched to find jobs. He gave this update in a written reply to a parliamentary question from Sembawang GRC MP Lim Wee Kiak.
On reducing manpower costs, Mr Gan said the tripartite partners - comprising the ministry, the Singapore National Employers' Federation and NTUC - strongly encourage companies to manage their excess manpower and consider retrenchments only as a last resort.
Companies should redeploy workers to other areas of work and send excess manpower for skills upgrading and training, or adopt alternative arrangements like short work-week.
He said companies can also adopt a flexible wage system to manage wage costs or implement temporary layoffs.
The MOM will release the revised Tripartite Guidelines on Managing Excess Manpower on Wednesday. Mr Gan urged companies to apply these guidelines and take a longer-term view to managing their manpower.
The tripartite partners will closely monitor the employment situation in affected sectors and will step up efforts to help companies and affected workers cope with the downturn.
Retrenched workers will also get help in finding new jobs and skills upgrading.
The career centres at the Community Development Councils (CDCs) and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) will provide career counselling, training support and job placements for the unemployed.
Job seekers could be deployed to sectors which are still hiring and have strong growth prospects, such as the retail industry. It is estimated that the industry will need at least several thousand retail workers once Ion Orchard, Orchard Central and the integrated resorts are open.
MOM will be announcing more details on the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) later this week. The programme will provide small and medium enterprises with financing help and a new training programme for workers.
- CNA/ir
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