Tan See Leng on measures to ease post-pandemic labour crunch, encourage local hiring

Government agencies are working closely with industry and unions to promote good jobs and ramp up local hiring amid a manpower crunch due to the impact of COVID-19. The Government will continue to support businesses to transform and improve job quality to attract and retain local workers. Replying to MPs’ questions in Parliament on Monday (May 9), Manpower Minister Tan See Leng also urged employers to look at hiring workers who have held short-term COVID-19 roles, such as safe distancing ambassadors and vaccination centre staff. He also detailed support being given to the hardest-hit sectors that rely heavily on foreign workers. These include construction, marine shipyard and process, as well as sectors trying to rebuild quickly post-pandemic, such as food services, tourism and aviation. Dr Tan said businesses can now have “fuller confidence” to bring work pass holders into Singapore and that the recent opening of the land border with Malaysia should further ease labour market tightness.