New job matching initiative launched to help workers find jobs nearer to home, in the community

SINGAPORE: A new community job matching initiative driven by the five Community Development Councils (CDCs) in Singapore was launched on Thursday (Oct 23) to help unemployed residents find job opportunities closer to home within their local communities.

The Jobs Nearby @ CDC initiative was launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

CDCs play a role in bridging the gaps at the local or community level when it comes to the issue of jobs, which is “one of the most pressing concerns which Singaporeans have”, said Mr Wong at the initiative’s launch at Taman Jurong Community Club.

“We will continue to do all we can at the national level, and we have plans to do more. But national efforts alone are not enough. They have to be complemented by community initiatives."

Some job seekers have specific needs, such as working near home to better balance work and family responsibilities or more flexible work arrangements, said the prime minister.

At the same time, heartland businesses are also looking for workers, but may lack the resources to find them effectively, and their vacancies may also not be reflected in the national jobs bank, added Mr Wong, who is also the finance minister.

JOB SEARCH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY

The initiative was first piloted by the South West District on Aug 31.

Under the scheme, each district will have a job bank - separate from the national job bank - that residents can use to find opportunities near their homes, including full-time, part-time and flexible jobs.

Job ambassadors will also be deployed to provide residents with customised assistance and end-to-end guidance throughout the whole process.

There will also be community job clinics in heartland spaces such as community clubs, Resident Network Centres and coffee shops, to better connect job seekers directly with employers.

Mr Wong said that these will complement efforts at the national level through SkillsFuture, Workforce Singapore, the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and tripartite efforts.

“As a small open economy, Singapore will always be exposed to global ups and downs. When the world is going well, we feel the boost. When the world slows down, we feel it very quickly as well,” he said.

“We have no control over these external swings, but with our combined efforts, we can mitigate the impact on our people. Whatever the state of the world or whatever the state of the global economy, we will ensure that jobseekers and workers in Singapore will always be supported and cared for. That is our commitment.”

Mr Wong said that today, there are still job vacancies and unemployment remains low, but there is a sense that the job landscape is changing, leading to rising anxieties.

This is partly due to near-term uncertainty created by the United States’ tariffs, which means businesses are holding back on expansion plans and new hirings, he said.

It is also because new technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), are changing business processes and job requirements, added Mr Wong.

“So how do we respond to all these new trends? Our starting point and most important focus is to keep our economy strong, dynamic and vibrant, and to ensure we can navigate the rapid changes in the external environment,” he said, noting the work of Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and the Economic Resilience Taskforce and the Economic Strategy Review committees.

“But at the same time, we can’t just leave the creation of good jobs and the matching of skills to new demands to the market. These things don't just happen by chance, we have to be proactive about this.”

Efforts on this front include expanding SkillsFuture to help Singaporeans reskill and upskill, and stepping up career counselling and job matching services to help fresh graduates find jobs.

SHAPING A "WE FIRST" SOCIETY

Present at Thursday’s event were the five mayors: Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling, Minister of State for Transport and for Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Alex Yam.

Ms Low, who is mayor of the South West District and also chairperson of the Mayors’ Committee, said the CDCs will support and enable Singaporeans to play an active part in shaping a “We First” society, something Mr Wong spoke about during this year’s National Day Rally.

“We will empower individuals and organisations to shape the future through volunteerism and participating in the growth and development of the communities in each of our districts,” she said.

The CDCs’ job fairs had found that some residents, like seniors, caregivers and stay-at-home mothers, need more hand-holding in their job search, while some companies offering jobs in the heartlands have trouble reaching jobseekers, said Ms Low.

“This is where the CDCs can bridge the gap between jobseekers and employers in the neighbourhood. We can help meet each other’s needs, improve livelihoods and sustain businesses,” she said.

Ms Low said that in her South West District, there are currently over 50,000 jobs offered by 1,600 employers.

“We are happy to report that since we piloted the initiative, we have engaged more than 350 residents who stay in South West,” she said.

The district’s five job ambassadors work with about 60 residents each and continue to stay in touch with them on their job search journey.

“We're happy to share that over the last six weeks, they have facilitated 120 of them for interviews, and they have been shortlisted for further interviews,” said Ms Low.

Among those who successfully found employment through that channel was Mr Rosman Ibrahim, who was hired as a security officer.

The 59-year-old has been unable to take on a full-time job since he started undergoing kidney dialysis treatments around three years back.

“The programme is very good as it helps people like me. It encourages us to take up jobs, rather than just sit at home all day,” said Mr Rosman, who has to go for treatment three times a week.

He works as a part-time security officer, heading down to guard industrial buildings when needed. He was previously a private chauffeur until his diagnosis forced him to stop working.

“At the beginning, the lifestyle was something very new for me and I was quite upset. But I knew I had to prioritise my health, so I told myself to keep going and just looked forward and motivated myself mentally,” he told CNA.

He was also the sole breadwinner in the family, and was concerned about their finances.

His family got by on their savings and government support until he came across the Jobs Nearby @ CDC scheme through NTUC’s e2i and his Member of Parliament.

“My family has been quite supportive in encouraging me, and reminding me that I have to take care of my health rather than just thinking so much about taking care of the finances,” said Mr Rosman.

Ms Elieen Han, human resource manager for AETOS Holdings, told CNA that the new programme serves the heartlands especially, which helps the firm reach out to mid-career workers and also fresh graduates.

The firm has successfully hired two people through the programme: one auxiliary police officer and another security officer.

"With the exposure that we are tapping on, it has given us many more people who actually enquire. And with people enquiring, they get to know a bit more about the security line and know that the security sector can also be a stable career for them," she explained.

The programme also helps the firm clarify any misconceptions or doubts that the public may have about its operations, said Ms Han.

"People may feel that for the security line, they cannot join us without experience. These are some of the typical ideas that the public has, and with these fairs ... we get a chance to explain to them that no experience is needed," she said.