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Old 03-05-2017, 10:58 AM   #1
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Default May Day Rally - Unemployment Rate

May Day Rally: Singapore has to work hard to tackle rising unemployment, says PM Lee
By Jalelah Abu Baker
01 May 2017 10:40AM (Updated: 01 May 2017 10:44PM)



SINGAPORE: Unemployment is expected to creep up further this year, as Singapore’s workforce ages and older workers who lose their jobs take longer to find new ones, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (May 1).

Even as he is “cautiously optimistic” about Singapore’s economy, and sees growth likely to pick up from last year, Mr Lee said he expects a “steady trickle” of redundancies. As companies restructure, some workers will be displaced, he told unionists gathered at Our Tampines Hub for the annual May Day Rally.

Singapore’s economy expanded by 2 per cent last year, up slightly from 2015's 1.9 per cent, which was the country’s weakest annual growth rate since 2009. The unemployment rate climbed to 2.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Still, Singapore’s unemployment rate is low in comparison to other developed countries, where they are typically much higher – at least 5 per cent, and sometimes, 10 per cent, Mr Lee said.

“We have to understand this trend, but at the same time we have to work hard to resist it, and to keep our workers in jobs,” he said.

He gave an example of PSA, which retained its workers when the port shifted to Pasir Panjang and used better technology. The workers were retrained, and quite a few took on new roles, he said.

CREATING NEW JOBS

In order to create new jobs, the Government will bring in new businesses and investments, and upgrade existing companies, a “winning formula for 50 years”, Mr Lee said.

“If we don’t have the new companies, if we don’t have a business-friendly environment where people want to come, there will be no new jobs,” he said, adding that the Economic Development Board has been working hard to get MNCs to invest in Singapore.

He gave examples of projects last year – electronics company Micron invested S$5.4 billion, expanded its facility at North Coast Drive and created 500 jobs; Search engine giant Google employed 1,000 people at its new campus in Mapletree Business City; chemical company Evonik broke ground for their second plant on Jurong Island, investing S$800 million and creating 150 jobs.

At the same time, the Government is helping local small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), both traditional and high-tech, to upgrade themselves, go overseas, expand and build new capabilities, Mr Lee said.

He highlighted Grandluxe, a Singaporean company set up 75 years ago as a book-binding workshop along Mohamad Sultan Road. It expanded into the printing business, setting up a factory in Jurong, printing stationery and notebooks.

But with the old business shrinking, the company decided to change their business model. They turned bookbinding into a premium craft, and started a new company called Bynd Artisan, where customers get to go to their retail shop, and pick materials. Now, at Bynd Artisan, which is selling to the world, skilled bookbinders will personalise leather books and goods.

One of these skilled bookbinders is Ms Tan Buay Heng, who started 40 years ago as a production operator, manually binding books. Ms Tan’s story, from production operator to retail branch manager, can become the story of other workers, Mr Lee said.

“What Bynd Artisan did, Spring and IE Singapore are helping many other SMEs to do. Not every SME can become a retail boutique book binder, but many can reinvent themselves and find new niches in which they can grow,” he added.

FINDING REPLACEMENT JOBS, UPGRADING

The Government is also helping those who have lost their jobs to find alternative jobs, especially professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), Mr Lee said, adding that he is particularly concerned about sectors which are not doing well.

One such sector is the offshore and marine industry. From its last peak, the industry has lost about 30,000 jobs. While foreign workers were the first to be let go, about 1,000 local workers were let go last year, with another few hundred to lose their jobs this year, he said.

In order to improve the situation, the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union, Institute of Engineers in Singapore and the Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Employees' Union are working together to organise job fairs to help offshore and marine workers find new jobs in aerospace and transport engineering.

“It is a bold move for workers to go and do that. You have to go outside your comfort zone, but if you make the effort, you train, you can do it. Some have already done it,” he said.

Mr Lee urged Singaporeans not to give up, to be open-minded and flexible, and to take up new courses and re-skill. He also encouraged employers not to just recruit new graduates and to give mature workers a second chance, adding that the public sector is leading by example.

Government agencies like the Land Transport Authority, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Heath have been hiring mid-career PMETs, including mature workers, he said, adding that they have launched several conversion programmes to convert mid-career workers in order to hire them.

But workers must continue to put in effort to continue upgrading themselves, Mr Lee said. Workers in other countries are constantly upgrading, he said, giving the example of factory workers in Chengdu, China, who live in dormitories and take on e-learning at night.

“Unless we are as hungry as them, and as determined as them to upgrade ourselves, and willing to put in as great an effort, I think our cheese will be stolen. We have to make that effort, we have to strive, and we have to keep our position,” he said.

He said that Singapore has a headstart with SkillsFuture, which the International Monetary Fund calls “one of the most comprehensive skills development programmes” it has seen.

TRIPARTISM AS THE WAY FORWARD

At the centre of efforts to transform the economy and create jobs are Industry Transformation Maps, a recommendation from the Committee on the Future Economy, Mr Lee said.

For example, prospects are bright in the logistics industry – which, together with the transport industry, employs nearly 250,000 workers – because of technology, robotics and data analytics. The Government hopes there will be another 2,000 PMET jobs in logistics in the next five years, he said.

But to do that, everyone will have to play his part, Mr Lee said. Employers must invest in technology, train up workers, unions must work with employers, identify where the new jobs will be, and help workers get new skills, while the Government will support companies to adopt new technology and workers to get training. This is tripartism in action, he said.

HENG SWEE KEAT HEADS COUNCIL TO IMPLEMENT CFE STRATEGIES

Mr Lee also said that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will take over from Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam as chair of tripartite council, the Council for Skills, Innovation and Productivity. It will be renamed the Future Economy Council.

Mr Heng will work with ministers such as Mr S Iswaran, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Mr Ong Ye Kung and Mr Lawrence Wong, to implement the strategies of the Committee of the Future Economy (CFE) which maps out a blueprint for Singapore's next phase of growth.

“It is an opportunity for the younger ministers to work closely together as a team, strengthen their bonds with employers and unions and with each other, and show Singaporeans what they can do. It is their generation of leadership who will have to work with you to take this country to new heights,” Mr Lee said, adding that a unique tripartite partnership is the secret to why Singapore has been able to transform its economy over and over again.

In concluding the rally, he said: “I have no doubt we will face further challenges ahead, even serious ones. But if we strengthen the tripartite system, and remain united, if the labour movement remains strong, takes care of our workers, and makes them co-owners of our system, and if all segments of society – workers as well as employers, managers and professionals as well as foremen and the rank-and-file – sacrifice equally when sacrifice is called for, and share in the fruits of success when things go well, I am confident we will overcome the challenges and emerge stronger.”

---------------

Don't know what did I miss out. Unemployment set to rise later this year, yet best Singaporean said economy set to pick up (economy up, unemployment also up)? Nevermind, I'm sure he makes sense.

Best Singaporean alive also compared our unemployment with developed countries... So is that saying, we got more room for unemployment,
to reach 5 or 10%? Hmmm

When we have smartest and most competent Singaporean speaking, stupid ppl like me gets lost.
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Old 08-05-2017, 11:33 AM   #2
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Unemployment can be due to many factors such as Technology changes.

For eg, more companies looking at Automating process, which displaces humans from their jobs.

However, this might result in higher productivity and thus improves on the economy.

I hate to say this but I strongly believe that we as humans need to start learning new skills and looking at new ways of work to keep ourselves employable.

No matter which government we are under... so long as we are flexible and always ready... we can survive
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Old 08-05-2017, 05:52 PM   #3
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Can explain why the obsession with productivity? More productive leads to better economy, better jobs or better pay?
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Old 08-05-2017, 06:12 PM   #4
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Diew, as if individuals in the red dot is not working hard enough meh; as if we are shaking legs and hands erh.

Yes, betterer pay for the "selected" few. The rest just sucks big time

In time to come, even no timeto steal eat.

Time used to drive grab and uber hor.

Last edited by streetsmart73; 08-05-2017 at 06:14 PM.
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Old 08-05-2017, 06:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by onlyyouknow View Post
Can explain why the obsession with productivity? More productive leads to better economy, better jobs or better pay?
if no increase in productivity, how can our salary increase when we are still doing the same job?

example if assuming everything remain the same and parameter constant:
The company is doing the same sales with same people and same cost of goods, but manpower will just increase as per our increment expectation, the profit will slowly be eroded.

Only with productivity, then we can achieve manpower cut, then the manpower cut will not increase in absolute total, but individual income will increase.

That is $10,000 divide by 5 person at $2,000 each, became, $10,000 divided by 4 person at $2,500 each.

Of course in real term, there are many other factors.
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Old 08-05-2017, 07:09 PM   #6
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Just keen to know whether technology is used to replace or to help ppl ?

So far it seems technology is displacing workers from their works.

And so, where will these workers go to ? Start own biz, drive taxi, look for another job which is also a waiting game for displacement again or settle for a manual job which just enuff to eat (at least for the moment now) ?
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Old 08-05-2017, 07:58 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nutx View Post
if no increase in productivity, how can our salary increase when we are still doing the same job?



example if assuming everything remain the same and parameter constant:

The company is doing the same sales with same people and same cost of goods, but manpower will just increase as per our increment expectation, the profit will slowly be eroded.



Only with productivity, then we can achieve manpower cut, then the manpower cut will not increase in absolute total, but individual income will increase.



That is $10,000 divide by 5 person at $2,000 each, became, $10,000 divided by 4 person at $2,500 each.



Of course in real term, there are many other factors.


But manpower cut is not good if there are not sufficient jobs that pay well for the country's citizen, is it not? And there will always be a cap.

So what happens when you are left with only one worker and everything runs on machines? Fire the last worker and everything is automated? I'm not sure whether this is the way to go.


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Old 09-05-2017, 10:52 AM   #8
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For a country to grow, GDP needs to grow to fund it.

There are insufficient people in the work force to see the kind of growth needed, since Singapore is facing greying population and low childbirth. So I can understand the need to import workers and embrace technology change.

So with technology and automation, it odd to increase efficiency and productivity, thereby mitigating the need of even larger workforce. This transition puts some at risk of redundancy, but I guess it has to be for a country to grow.

Either we learn to cope with change or we get passed by. Not everyone is able to be retrain, but there are also those who refused to adapt to change. Those who refused will only subject themselves to the mercy of change.

Like some would say, the only constant is Change.
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Old 09-05-2017, 01:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Homester View Post
Just keen to know whether technology is used to replace or to help ppl ?

So far it seems technology is displacing workers from their works.

And so, where will these workers go to ? Start own biz, drive taxi, look for another job which is also a waiting game for displacement again or settle for a manual job which just enuff to eat (at least for the moment now) ?
If you dun use it, you'll be replaced.
If you understand it, utilize it and thus improve your work process, it's helping you.

You can be the mice that wait for the cheese to appear, or the mice that goes out actively searching for cheese.
For more info, go read up on "Who Moved My Cheese"

Recently I somehow watched this movie "Hidden Figures". It's about black women in times where women are disregarded and you are judged by the colour of your skin.

There's a very heart tugging part where 1 lady saw the new processor being purchased by the company (NASA) and realised she need to learn about it so she CAN BE READY when it starts. To top it off, she set out to teach the rest of the ladies in her team so they are ready when the time came.

In the end, they all kept a jobs. Jobs the machine was meant to replace was replaced. However, they took on new jobs to manage & maintain the machine because they already have the know-how.

The only thing that is constant in life is Change.
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Old 09-05-2017, 02:15 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by satan_gal View Post
If you dun use it, you'll be replaced.
If you understand it, utilize it and thus improve your work process, it's helping you.

You can be the mice that wait for the cheese to appear, or the mice that goes out actively searching for cheese.
For more info, go read up on "Who Moved My Cheese"

Recently I somehow watched this movie "Hidden Figures". It's about black women in times where women are disregarded and you are judged by the colour of your skin.

There's a very heart tugging part where 1 lady saw the new processor being purchased by the company (NASA) and realised she need to learn about it so she CAN BE READY when it starts. To top it off, she set out to teach the rest of the ladies in her team so they are ready when the time came.

In the end, they all kept a jobs. Jobs the machine was meant to replace was replaced. However, they took on new jobs to manage & maintain the machine because they already have the know-how.

The only thing that is constant in life is Change.
Very well said!

but it's the Hard Truth!
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