National Jobs Bank to be ‘24/7 online marketplace’ for job seekers, employers
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The National Jobs Bank will be transformed into a “one-stop and non-stop” online marketplace that brings together employers and both “active and passive” job seekers, as Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say put it.
No timeline was set for the launch of the revamped platform, and details remain sketchy at this stage. Nevertheless, Mr Lim said the skills frameworks for different sectors — detailing career paths, skills requirements and training programmes — will be part of the portal. So far, the frameworks for hotel and accommodation services as well as early childhood care and education have been unveiled, with more in the pipeline.
Job seekers or even those in industries with poor prospects could tap the frameworks as they contemplate new careers, said Mr Lim.
He added: “Job seekers will be able to explore new career opportunities and conduct job searches anytime, anywhere without having to wait for the next job fair.
“They can be young adults looking for their first jobs, mid-careers looking for their next careers, or mature workers looking to remain active.”
The 24/7 online marketplace could be similar to virtual career fairs, which government agencies are exploring.
In a pilot last month, Workforce Singapore — previously known as the Singapore Workforce Development Agency — organised a two-week virtual career fair where job seekers could link up with potential employers and chat with them online.
More than 50 employers — offering 500 vacancies across the infocomm technology, aerospace, biomedical sciences and professional services sectors — took part in the fair.
First trialled in May 2014, the National Jobs Bank was set up as part of the Fair Consideration Framework, which requires employers with businesses of more than 25 people to post job vacancies on the website for at least 14 days before applying for an Employment Pass.
To date, about 180,000 individuals have used the portal and about 25,700 employers are registered on it. Currently, there are 60,000 active job listings and some 7,000 job applications are submitted daily, Mr Lim said.
He added that the portal has been useful in helping local job seekers — especially professional, managers, executives and technicians —find jobs. VALERIE KOH
