TL;DR – NTUC empathize with those who fall into involuntary unemployment and recommended the strengthening of unemployment support scheme to help lower-income households.
As the share of PMEs in Singapore’s workforce expands, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) collectively formed a PME Taskforce. After a year-long of engaging more than 10,000 workers, union leaders and business leaders, a report with nine recommendations was put up for the Government’s consideration.
NTUC empathize with those who fall into involuntary unemployment and know how lower-income households are hit the hardest. Naturally, one of the nine recommendations was regarding the strengthening of unemployment income support.
In response to this recommendation at yesterday’s (2 Nov) dialogue session held under the Empower pillar of the Forward Singapore engagement exercise, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng shared that the ministry is looking at how to provide better support to displaced workers and addressing their desires for an unemployment support scheme.
The dialogue session, held under the Empower pillar of the Forward Singapore engagement exercise, was joined by Secretary-General of NTUC Ng Chee Meng and 60 PMEs at the Star Vista. The participants were engaged in focus groups followed by a dialogue session with Dr Tan and Mr Ng.
Empowering Singaporeans to take charge of their Career Health
While we are enthusiastic about bettering our well-being by heading over to the aisle of self-help books in the library over the weekend, we should apply the same attitude towards our careers too!
The average person spends 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime. And our jobs have a huge impact on the quality of our lives. All the more reason why we should take charge of our career direction wouldn’t you agree?
Below are the initiatives that can equip Singaporeans in taking charge of their career journey.
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Plan and Pivot
Many Institutes of Higher Learning have career offices to guide the youths in choosing a career pathway. Some are even mentored to plan long-term career goals and take proactive steps towards achieving them.
While it is good to clock in the years to gain more experience in developing a skill, we should also be aware of the demand and relevancy of our skillset as the economy and job roles evolve.
Identifying new opportunities in the economy and pivoting our careers will help us remain relevant in the workforce and allow us to extend the life expectancy of our careers.
Having foresight in the up-and-coming opportunities in the economy can allow you to make new long-term career goals and take preemptive and proactive steps in making the transition.
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Keeping your Career Health in check
Like our regular health check-ups, the government is looking to empower Singaporeans by assessing the career opportunities they can consider based on their skills, experiences, and interests. In doing so, you will get a clear career and training pathway so you can plan the steps to take to achieve your career goals.
By leveraging on data and artificial intelligence, a personalized career plan can be generated for all Singaporeans.
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Cultivating healthy habits
With a personalized career plan, Singaporeans can keep updated of industry developments while juggling their evolving needs and personal interests.
Be brave and curious – dare to seek new opportunities beyond your comfort zone and beyond our national borders.
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How to bounce back
The end goal is to help them to be effective in their job search and to keep encouraging them until they have found a suitable role.
With the resources and guidance made available by the government in the near future, we will be better informed about our career choices and goals. Let’s take ownership of our career pathway and remember to keep being curious so you will never stop learning and growing!