Over a third of some 2,000 workers polled by NTUC are concerned about losing their jobs in the next three months
[SINGAPORE] Jobseeker support for the more highly paid, as well as a new workgroup to protect workers in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), were among suggestions by labour Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Tay on Friday (Sep 26).
The SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme is for involuntarily unemployed workers with past monthly income of up to S$5,000. Tay suggested extending this to professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) earning above this threshold, without specifying a new cap.
In a recent labour movement survey, over a third of more than 2,000 respondents were concerned about losing their jobs or not having their contracts renewed in the next three months, noted Tay, who is assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
He called for stronger action against employers who do not practice fair, responsible retrenchment, and offering incentives to companies to put first-time workers in full-time positions.
Separately, he suggested a Tripartite Workgroup on Safeguarding Workers in the Age of AI.
This should encourage companies to adopt “just transition” practices, prevent algorithmic discrimination and ensure responsible use of AI-powered human resource (HR) tools.
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These were among Tay’s suggestions for supporting Singaporeans, the first of three priorities he cited in his speech.
In a separate speech, NTUC deputy secretary-general Desmond Tan said NTUC’s response to AI is not to protect jobs from disruption, but to help workers thrive in the AI economy.
This means supporting business transformation, job redesign and upskilling, similar to what was done in the 1980s computer revolution and the rise of the Internet in the 2000s, said Tan, who is also senior minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office.
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In particular, NTUC is working with tripartite partners to ensure senior workers have real choices, flexibility and dignity, with fair access to AI-related training and upskilling opportunities.
The Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment is working on identifying “practical solutions” and will share its findings and plans next year, said Tan.
Singaporean core
Tay’s second priority was to strengthen the “Singaporean core”, especially for local PMEs who face “increasing competition” with foreign talent.
“Many Singaporean workers I’ve spoken with tell me they continue to feel sidelined in their own economy, as companies hire Singaporeans to fill junior positions while foreign talents dominate senior and leadership positions.”
A strong Singaporean core must be a “Singaporean-led core”, he said.
This means preparing local talent for senior and leadership positions before “turning abroad”, as well as facilitating knowledge and skills transfer.
Highlighting HR professionals’ key role in attracting and developing local talent, Tay called for mandatory certification by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals.
“This is especially critical for MNCs (multinational corporations) employing foreign HR practitioners who operate within the Singapore context and help them better understand our tripartite industrial relations framework,” he said.
Strengthening the Singaporean core does not mean closing doors to foreign talent, Tay noted, but building a more competitive economy that is less reliant on external labour and nurturing the next generation of Singaporean leaders.
Skills first
His third priority was a “skills-first” Singapore.
Ten years since the launch of SkillsFuture, it is timely to review the continuing education and training (CET) framework for the next bound of workforce development, said Tay.
This should use a “skills-first approach”, he added, meaning that skills and competencies should be prioritised over degrees and diplomas.
This would also support caregivers, older workers, persons with disabilities, young graduates and freelancers or the self-employed in asserting the value of their labour, allowing employers to tap a wider talent pool, he added.
But this needs buy-in from all stakeholders, said Tay. The government would need to create frameworks for skills accreditation and transferability across industries.
Employers would need to adopt progressive practices, such as listing required skills in job descriptions and considering certifications and experiences outside of work.
Schools would need to adapt their curricula to raise students’ curiosity, confidence and creativity in exploring diverse ways of learning and working, and the arts must be as well-funded as the sciences.
Senior workers
Several MPs also wanted more support for senior workers.
MP for Bukit Panjang SMC Liang Eng Hwa wanted better job-matching services, particularly for more senior, mid-career PMEs. Such workers often have the skills and experiences that companies are looking for, “but somehow the match does not occur”, he said.
Matching jobs in more senior roles is “less effective” on job search platforms and agencies such as MyCareersFuture and Workforce Singapore, with hirers usually depending on their own channels to find candidates, he said.
MP for Sembawang GRC Vikram Nair suggested legislating redundancy or retirement benefits, so that employees would have less incentive to leave their employer otherwise.
This would help solve the problem of “transactional relationships”, where employers are less willing to invest in employees since the latter may leave after being trained.
Legislated retirement benefits would also reduce the “cliff” effect that long-serving employees face: getting a substantial payout if they are made redundant before they are 65, but none at all after 65.
“If retirement benefits are legislated, every employee knows they will get a good payout at the time they reach retirement age, and this ironic cliff effect will not be there,” said Nair.
