Singapore - MOM outlines measures to preserve jobs for S'poreans

During the Parliament sitting on Monday, Mr Yaw Shin Leong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Manpower (MOM) whether the Ministry will preserve Singaporeans' jobs in light of the uncertain economic outlook for 2012.

In response, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam said a multi-pronged approach was required to enhance the employment of Singaporeans.

Firstly, MOM seeks to maintain a conducive environment for businesses to grow in order to create and sustain job opportunities in Singapore.

At the same time, MOM invests heavily in education and training opportunities for Singaporeans to continuously upgrade their skill-sets to remain competitive and employable.

Secondly, MOM seeks to progressively raise the quality of foreign manpower inflows and reduce over-reliance on foreign workers.

From January 1, 2012, new Employment Pass applicants will have to meet more stringent eligibility criteria which includes better educational qualifications and higher qualifying salaries.

Foreign worker levies are also being raised every six months until 2013, to incentivise productivity improvements.

MOM also refers companies seeking foreign manpower whose skills and expertise are available locally to the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) so that they can meet their manpower requirements.

Thirdly, MOM utilises Tripartite Guidelines to help ensure that Singaporeans are not disadvantaged in their employment opportunities and that Singaporeans remain the core of the workforce.

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) released a set of revised guidelines on Fair Employment Practices in October 2011.

The guidelines, which all employers are expected to adhere to, call for employers to make reasonable efforts to attract and consider Singaporeans for job positions on merit, and to train and develop their potential and careers.

Such efforts include ensuring that all jobs advertised are open to Singaporeans, working with educational institutions, career centres and recruitment agencies such as WDA and e2i to attract and recruit Singaporeans, and developing the skills and expertise of Singaporean employees and grooming them for higher level jobs.

AsiaOne

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