Resilient Workforce and Foreign Workers

Sir, I came across many executives and even fresh graduates who are ill-equipped to look for employment during this downturn. Some retrenched executives I know apply to only one potential employer, usually MOE, and then pin all their hopes on that one chance. Resumes that were sent to me for circulation often do not make any impression or lack critical information. Others I know perform badly at interviews, clueless about the do's and dont's of interview etiquette.

A retrenched sales manager I know has applied to be trained as a nurse under the Ministry's Professional Conversion Programme, and he admits he may not be suitable, but healthcare is recruiting.

Sir, similar to financial literacy, many Singaporeans, especially PMETs, need to acquire literacy in career planning and development. I was very impressed by the menus of training programme choices I saw in the websites of WDA, e2i and NTUC Learning Hub, and the like. But, like in corporations where needs analysis and planning are conducted before sending staff for training, I believe that job-seekers must pre-plan before they pick their training from the generous menus of 800 programmes that are subsidised by Government. Hence, I recommend that Ministry and WDA make available on their homepages a career planning toolkit complete with self-awareness questionnaires, career orientation profile assessments, interview tips, resume templates and materials on how one can take ownership of one's career. I will be happy to help stage the solutions in support of MOM if this can help more Singaporeans to be more effective in their job search.

Sir, on foreign workers. I am very pleased with the active participation of the Ministry of Manpower in working with my grassroots and other agencies in addressing my local residents' concerns, and promoting better harmony between local and foreign workers. Uniformed patrol teams organised jointly by key tripartite partners of grassroots leaders, MOM and the Police have helped very much to minimise undesirable behaviours of non-residents, and this is deeply appreciated by my residents.

Sir, with the economic downturn, the number of foreign workers stranded in Singapore without work is on the rise. MOM, grassroots, NTUC and even activists such as One (Singapore) and Transient Workers Count Too have stepped up efforts to assist these workers in matters like employer disputes, food lodging and repatriation. However, many are reluctant to be repatriated as they need employment to redeem the hefty loans they have incurred prior to coming to Singapore. Unfortunately, this root cause is not addressed and different parties often fingerpoint at each other when cases are highlighted by the media. I propose that Ministry: (1) Permit only authorised good quality recruitment agencies to recruit labour from abroad on behalf of local employers; (2) Dictate the range of fees that can be charged for these agencies' recruitment efforts in order to avoid hefty loans by the foreign workers. I believe Taiwan has some relevant legislation on this matter; (3) Ministry should step up, speed up and publicise enforcement actions against errant employers or agents who violated the relevant labour laws to safeguard the interests of these foreign workers; and (4) Initiate formal G-to-G (Government-to-Government) efforts to hold foreign missions more accountable and take a more visible lead in stemming the practice of charging exorbitant fees of these workers in the base countries.

Last but not least, Sir, I wish to urge the Minister to look into the plight of the many disabled workers in our country. I have already shared in this House the story of my deaf resident who lost a job during this downturn and still unemployed because potential employers do not even bother to want to interview her.

Sir, we have laws protecting pregnant Singaporean women. Even the NTUC has just set up the Migrant Workers Forum to look after the interests of foreign workers. But employment support services for the disabled remain in the dearth. The Minister has never ignored the special needs community even before he joined politics. I hope he will commission a team of thinkers and doers comprising MOM, MCYS, NCSS and VWOs to craft measures to ensure that the disabled in our country have access to paid work that matches their disabilities, and disabled staff will not be the first casualties whenever an economic downturn kicks in.