HIDDEN_ADDENDA, MINISTRY OF MANPOWER

MINISTRY OF MANPOWER: DR NG ENG HEN
Minister for Manpower

Singapore must have a globally competitive workforce that drives economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities for Singaporeans. To achieve this, MOM will help develop a dynamic and productive workforce with the right attitudes and skills to attract new investments and sustain business competitiveness. We must also have a flexible and responsive labour market that can help companies adjust to business cycles. This in turn depends on our efforts to build strong tripartite relations, and measures to help our workers train and re-skill to take advantage of new opportunities. We will also safeguard our workers’ welfare by upholding good employment practices and ensuring safe and healthy work practices.

Building a globally competitive workforce to drive economic growth and restructuring

We want all Singaporean workers to be able to participate in the opportunities generated by an improving economy. To complement the education system, we must also have a good adult training infrastructure to help workers upgrade their skills and build their careers, or switch industries and change careers to adapt to economic restructuring. We will establish employability skills training and further develop the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications Framework across more industries to provide alternate pathways for workers to build vocational skills and take up new jobs. We will develop a stronger service culture through the Go-the-Extra-Mile for Service movement, to better position our workforce for the growing services sector.

A labour market that is flexible and responsive to the manpower needs of employers is a key strength of our economy. We will continue to improve the effectiveness and responsiveness of our policies to attract global talent and meet industry needs. We will also push ahead with wage restructuring to help more companies implement flexible and performance-based wage systems.

We will also engage overseas Singaporeans to provide information on employment opportunities in Singapore, to help them make informed decisions on returning home to pursue their careers.

Ensuring safe and healthy workplaces with good employment practices

We must have good workplace practices to protect the health and well-being of workers, and optimise workplace performance. Through the new Workplace Safety and Health Act, we will implement an effective regulatory framework to raise overall safety and health standards. We will work closely with the Workplace Safety and Health Advisory Committee to engage employers as a key partner in adopting safe and healthy practices to take greater ownership of safety outcomes. We will also promote the benefits of high standards in workplace safety and health as well as recognise best corporate practices.

In an intensely competitive business environment, we need to safeguard our workers’ employment conditions. We will step up enforcement and promotional efforts to ensure that basic employment rights and workers’ well-being are respected.

We will step up efforts to ensure that foreign workers here are fairly treated in accordance with acceptable employment standards. We will ensure prompt salary payment, adequate housing and medical care and safe working environments during their employment in Singapore.

We will work with our tripartite partners to promote fair, non-discriminatory and progressive employment practices that enable employers to attract, develop and retain valued employees.

Enhancing retirement adequacy and creating opportunities for lower-income workers

Singaporeans are living longer and having smaller families. Although family support remains an important pillar for retirement, Singaporeans will need to build up their own savings. We will look at ways to enhance returns on Singaporeans’ CPF savings, to better help them achieve retirement adequacy.

As our economy continues to restructure, low wage and older workers will be more vulnerable to structural unemployment due to skills mismatches. We will help those who are less able to help themselves, while continuing to reinforce the strong work ethic that has been the foundation of Singapore’s success. We will work with our tripartite partners to address these challenges through skills upgrading and conversion, job redesign, and employment assistance. We will implement the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee on Low Wage Workers and the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers, and also develop new ways of helping less-skilled, lower-income Singaporeans stay in work.