Serious Additional S$14 million a year to help PMETs switch to new careers

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SINGAPORE – Amid rising unemployment for older Singaporeans, particularly those in professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMET) roles, the Government will invest an additional S$28 million over the next two years to help these workers start careers in new sectors through Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs).

This translates to S$40 million a year – up from S$26 million – being set aside to pay for training courses and subsidise wages for these workers, with the sectors covered to rise from 14 to 20. The new sectors to be covered include logistics, public transport, and aerospace.

The increased funding was announced by Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say on Tuesday (June 14) who reiterated the importance for these workers to learn new skills to stay relevant for jobs of the future. He was speaking at the launch of four new PCPs at a career fair held at the Lifelong Learning Institute.

“As we become a more manpower-lean economy ... coupled with the faster pace of restructuring, we also see higher retrenchment and a longer time taken for retrenched workers to find jobs," he said.

This is due to the "growing mismatch between job seekers and job demands", and the Government is especially concerned for PMETs, he said. To ensure the gap does not widen, "the critical factor is whether we are able to help as many PMETs as possible to adapt and grow in new environments", he added.

In the first-quarter labour market report issued on Monday, the unemployment rate for residents above 50 years old rose to 2.2 per cent, up from 1.8 per cent a year ago. Among the 4,710 workers laid off in the first three months of the year, about 71 per cent were PMETs, and two-thirds were aged 40 and above.

Under the new PCPs launched, up to 80 workers annually will be trained for jobs in the retail, food services, and MICE and events industries. They will benefit from job matching and training. This expansion brings the number of PCPs to 31 in 14 sectors.

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ice-industries


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