Help Singaporeans affected by economic disruption: MPs
The government can tap technology to come up with projections of the future skills landscape, and do more to help companies to retrain and reskill workers, said Members of Parliament.
SINGAPORE – Do more to help Singaporeans affected by disruptions to the economy and jobs, Members of Parliament (MPs) urged the Government on the first day of the parliamentary debate on the President’s Address.
With some jobs now veering to the gig economy and being done remotely, and others fulfilled by satellite workgroups and regional talent, “the game has absolutely changed”, said Ms Cheryl Chan (Fengshan), who kickstarted the motion to thank President Halimah Yacob for her address last week.
“The number of workers is no longer (the) defining trait of a business or an economy. Instead, it’s the quality of workers that matters,” she said.
To help working Singaporeans, she urged the Government to play a greater role in shaping the job-matching scene by partnering others to scout for value and talent within workers here, as well as to provide human resource support.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh) said disruption caused by automation is likely to affect the jobs of the middle- and lower-income workers. The government could set up a fund, on top of existing SkillsFuture Study Awards, that corporations and small and medium enterprises can tap to retrain and reskill their staff, he suggested.
While all advanced economies face challenges in trying to keep pace with rapidly changing manpower needs, Nominated MP Randolph Tan said Singapore can tap technology to show what the skills landscape will look like in future. Other advanced economies are already making such projections regularly.
“For Singapore especially, where the twin challenges of manpower shortages and skills deficits are never far from our minds, mapping the landscape of available skills will provide policy makers with an informed start to addressing the skills challenges of tomorrow,” he said.
Ms Chan and Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast) spoke about female participation in the workforce. Women are overrepresented in certain jobs, such as office and administrative roles, which are likely to experience the most disruption, said Ms Foo.
Yet, areas that are expected to see the highest employment growth, such as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, have some of the lowest female participation rates, she added.
On the business front, Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah) said economic agencies and trade associations and chambers here can do more to help companies overcome the steep learning curve when venturing into foreign emerging markets.
They can, for instance, provide grants and support programmes as well as facilitate networking in overseas markets, he said.
Likewise, attracting multi-national companies to Singapore remains an important strategy as they can connect Singapore with the rest of the world, he said.
Amid the unpredictable international environment, NMP Thomas Chua spoke of the need for a new form of collaboration between the government and businesses, that is based on mutual trust and learning.
Trade associations and chambers should be more involved now that the government has rolled out the industry transformation maps, he said.
The fourth-generation leaders must also “listen to the voices of the businesses, pay close attention to the developments of the industries and broaden their visions so that they can formulate pro-business policies more accurately”, said Mr Chua.
Suggestions also came from other MPs. Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah) said the leadership should not shy away from revisiting certain policies and making tough decisions.
Singapore also needs teamwork so that it can work towards its aspirations, he said.
“If there is right motivation and there is teamwork, we will have an effective and efficient Parliament, which makes for an effective and efficient Cabinet, which makes for an effective and good Prime Minister, a strong leader. That responsibility of leadership is shared by everyone,” he said.
