Promoting Awareness of National Jobs Bank

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is being done to increase greater awareness about Jobs Bank especially among employers; and (b) what is the Ministry doing to improve the effectiveness of Jobs Bank in helping more Singaporeans get employed.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin: Since its launch in July 2014, Jobs Bank has received very encouraging response from employers. As of September 2014, 12,700 employers are registered with the Jobs Bank, with about 80% actively posting job vacancies. WDA will continue to work with industry associations, employer groups, unions, and community organisations to drive the adoption and use of Jobs Bank among employers for their hiring needs, so that local job seekers can have access to a larger and wider pool of job opportunities.

I would like to emphasise that the role of the Jobs Bank should be seen in a broader context. It is part of an eco-system that benefits Singaporean job seekers. This eco-system includes the number and types of jobs being created, and whether our people have the skills and passion for the job. Our fundamental objective remains to ensure that our people are job ready, by equipping them with industry-relevant skills that would allow them to pursue good jobs and careers, and assisting them by providing quality training programmes, training incentives to defray costs, employment facilitation and career coaching services.

In this eco-system, the Jobs Bank helps to make job vacancies more visible to Singaporean job seekers and facilitate a fair hiring process. Singaporean job seekers are now able to make job applications directly through the Jobs Bank for a substantial list of job openings. The feedback from both employers and job seekers has been positive. It is a good start and we hope that more employers and Singaporean job seekers will use it over time.